The Breaking Bough
by Carrot Top
Summary: Sequel to When Nothing Crumbles! Jasper & Danielle decide to embark on their own journey after a nearly fatal break in Jasper's restraint towards humans. They didn't know how long they would be gone, but neither was expecting the danger waiting for them.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Aaaaaaaaaand we're back! Did you think I would just leave it like that? You're crazy. So he're my plan. My imagination might not go as far as I'm hoping it will (cross your fingers) but whether it does or doesnt, I'm going to combine New Moon and Eclipse, capeesh? **

**Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing related to the Twilight series!**

--

Danielle snuggled further into Jasper's side and tightened her arm around his waist. His body was cold against hers but felt so wonderful and perfect that she would never, ever complain about the temperature. In fact, his cold body was a source of comfort for her now. He was currently whispering mindless little nothings into her ear while his fingertips were tracing patterns along her arm.

Finally, she lifted her head and smiled brightly at him. "We're getting married tomorrow."

Jasper grinned back and pulled her up the few inches needed to kiss her. "And you're feet aren't getting cold? You still want to marry me?" He asked with a smile. It was a stupid question. He knew she wasn't going anywhere.

"I might as well have been walking on hot coals. I've never been more sure about anything in my whole life." She promised. She laid her head back down on his shoulder and slipped her hand underneath his shirt to trace along the planes of his flat, hard body.

Jasper's family, with the exception of Rosalie and surprisingly Edward, had been overjoyed to hear the news of their engagement. Edward had seemed a bit put off actually in the beginning, but eventually he'd started to come around. Everyone else welcomed her into the family with open arms immediately and started treating her as if she were already Mrs. Hale. Within the first month she had a brand new car that was needlessly fast and forced upon her by Carlisle and Esme, a closet full of flashy clothes that Alice had insisted on getting her, and a brand new shiny credit card that Jasper had demanded she take. She'd tried to deny all the gifts they'd been giving her but had failed horribly. The family had simply informed her that she was now part of the Cullen clan and this was the baggage that came along with it.

Her mother had been a different story. She'd been completely shocked when Danielle and Jasper had broken the news to her and then promptly became angry. She'd insisted they were too young and said that they would end up like her and Danielle's father had. Danielle had then stayed at the Cullen house for nearly two weeks without speaking to her mother and that eventually made Lynne come around and accept it, even if she didn't approve. That had changed quickly once Alice asked her if she wanted to help anything. Lynne was ecstastic now.

Not like Alice had _needed _help. Alice hadn't been lying when she said she'd been planning the wedding in secret. Nearly everything had been taken care of and handled within the first two months of their 'unofficial' engagement and after that it seemed to be smooth sailing. The only thing she and Jasper had needed to take care of was the guest list which ended up consisting of all of her friends from school, her mother, all of the friends her mother had made, Bella's father, a few doctors from the hospital that Carlisle work at, and the Denali coven.

"I should probably meet them downstairs soon." Jasper said with a sigh. They were currently lying in his room at the Cullen house. Since she'd been staying at the house so much more he'd finally gotten a bed for her and it wasn't out of the ordinary for her to stay the night there.

"Do you have to?" Danielle whined.

Jasper laughed and rolled them until he was on top of her. She could barely feel his weight and used her arms to try to pull him down closer, wanting to feel more of him against her. Jasper didn't budge as he kept his weight from crushing her and dipped his head to press a few kisses against her neck.

"They're insisting on a bachelor party." He said, his lips moving to her jaw. Danielle let her hand slide up his back underneath his shirt and she felt him shudder. "Maybe I can stay a bit longer." He said huskily before his lips claimed hers.

She was never going to get tired of kissing Jasper, she thought as fire immediately shot through her veins as his lips moved against hers. Her fingers tangled themselves into his hair and she pressed her lips harder against his. Quite suddenly she felt his finger sliding up underneath her shirt.

"You're a stealthy one." Danielle murmured against his lips as she felt his fingers nearing dangerous territory. "And you're getting a little bold. I thought we weren't ready to get any more physical then this?" She managed to ask between his hungry kisses.

"I think you're talking too much right now." Jasper growled playfully.

"Shut me up then."

And he did. His lips were even fiercer against hers and she made a sound of approval as her hand slid over his back before fisting his shirt in her hands. Out of nowhere, loud and fast banging erupted against their door.

Danielle jumped in surprise and Jasper growled as he pulled his lips away from hers.

"Jasper, if you don't come out _here_ we're going to come in _there_, no matter how indecent you two are." Emmett threatened.

"I hate him." Jasper growled and Danielle giggled, kissing his cheek before trying unsuccessfully to push him away. Jasper felt the pressure though and moved off of her.

"I heard that." Emmett said simply.

"Good."

"Get out here!" Edward said now. "Before I tell Alice what you two were doing and she comes in there and kills you both."

Danielle rolled her eyes. "No one likes a tattle-tale, Edward."

"I know someone who likes _this _tattle-tale." He shot back cheekily.

Jasper had gotten off the bed and was standing over her. Danielle pouted and used the eyes she knew worked on him and he closed his eyes with a sigh. "You looking at me like that is making it hard for me to leave." He said when his eyes opened again. Danielle smiled and jumped up from the bed to throw herself at him, locking her arms around his neck. It wasn't long before they were kissing again.

The banging started, even more annoying this time around, and Jasper pulled away again. "Ok, I'm going to go before they break down the wall." He said in annoyance.

Danielle nodded. "Have fun."

He nodded, kissed her once more, and then opened the door to reveal his two brothers. Immediately, he pounced on Emmett and the two wrestled their way down the stairs. Edward watched them go in amusement.

"What are ya'll doing tonight?" Danielle asked as she walked over to lean against the door.

"Just hunting. Nothing crazy, don't worry." Edward said flashing a grin at her.

"Ok, good. Keep an eye out for him." She popped her head out the door. "I love you!"

"I love you, too!" Was called back to her from someplace downstairs.

"Have fun tonight." She said to Edward.

"We will!" Then he was bounding down the stairs and she closed the door. She changed into her nightclothes and sighed as she slid back in between the sheets. The bed always smelled like Jasper and it was always comforting. With lingering thoughts of Jasper floating around in her head, sleep claimed her much faster then she thought it would.

--

_BANG_. _BANG_. _BANG_. "No! NO! **Out**!" _BANG_. "Go away! You can't see her!" _BANG_.

Danielle popped her head up from the pillow and sleepily looked around. Alice was braced against the door yelling like a banshee while the door periodically would jump open a few inches only to slam back closed when Alice threw her weight against it.

"I want to see my fiancée!" Jasper demanded from the other side. "At least just for a moment!"

"No!" Alice said. The door jerked open then slammed closed again. The door was going to break at this rate.

"Alice…what the hell?" Danielle asked as she sat up on her forearms.

"You two can't see each other until you're about to say I do! And that's _that_!" Alice said, the door jumping again. "Emmett! Help me!" She called out. Soon enough the struggle stopped and she heard the telltale sign of another wrestling match between Emmett and Jasper.

"What time is it?" Danielle asked sleepily.

"It's past noon! You're getting married today now get up!" Alice said clapping her hands excitedly. Alice jerked the door open quickly while the information sunk into Danielle's sleep hazed mind and yelled down to her brothers, "GO SET UP THE BACK YARD!" Then she smiled innocently at Danielle.

"What?! Past noon?!" Danielle yelled as she jumped out of the bed.

"Quickly, let's make a run for my room!" Alice said.

Danielle didn't get a chance to protest as Alice literally picked her up and dashed out of Jasper's room to hers. Danielle pouted when she was set back down. "I don't like be handled like that."

Alice rolled her eyes. "Go get in the shower." She said with a smile. Danielle tried not to cringe when she stepped past a perfectly laid out stylist station with tons of hair styling products, tools, and accessories as well as enough make-up to fill up a Revlon factory. The torture was about to start.

Danielle quickly showered and as soon as she was out both Alice _and _Rosalie were there to start primping her. Rosalie had only barely begun to warm up to her, so Danielle was surprise to see her.

She'd never felt so primped and pampered in her whole life.

"I don't look like a clown, right?" Danielle asked a few hours later. They didn't appear to be quite finished yet.

"No, you look phenomenal!" Alice assured her. Even Rosalie cracked a smile behind them.

A very timid knock sounded on the door and Alice grinned again. "Come in, Bella."

Bella peaked her head around the door and let out a surprised yelp as Alice ran over in vampire speed and snatched her up before slamming the door shut. "It's your turn now." Alice said, plopping Bella down right next to Danielle.

Bella looked frightened for a second but when she looked at Danielle she grinned. "You look wonderful!" Bella exclaimed before her face was moved forward again. Her expression went sour. "Ugh. Do_ I _have to be tortured, too?"

"Yes, you're the maid of honor." Alice said with a grin.

Another hour later, Lynne walked through the door while Danielle was watching in amusement as Bella got tortured.

"Oh, sweetheart!" Lynne gushed as she hugged her. "Jasper will be completely blown away!"

Danielle finally chanced a look in the mirror and her jaw dropped. "Wow."

Her hair was styled into perfect billowing waves all the way down to the middle of her back while the her bangs were twisted into the left side of her hair, which was pulled up in slightly and resting in an intricate design above her left ear. Her make-up was flawless but not overdone, even though she'd been their guinea pig for the last three hours.

"You two did a wonderful job!" She gushed to Alice and Rosalie. "Thank you!"

"We only did so well because we had a great canvas to work with." Alice complimented. "Now let's get you dressed!"

The dress really was perfect. It was strapless and tight across the torso, flaring out smoothly and just slightly from her hips. On her right hip, the over material was gathered and pinned with a diamond jewel that belonged to Esme. The skirt had just a slight poof to it and had a very slight train. As soon as she put it on, any nerves that she had felt vanished.

"I'm ready." She said stepping out. Alice stepped back in to change and Rosalie had changed while she was gone.

Immediately Bella and Lynne were hugging her. "You look…breathtaking." Lynne said.

Bella had changed into her dress, which was forest green and silky. "You really do."

"How much time? I'm ready to be married!" Danielle said with a grin.

As if on cue, a knock sounded on the door. Emmett very cautiously poked his head in. "Will I be killed if I enter?"

"We can't kill you! You're too vital to the wedding." Alice answered as they all prepared to leave. Rosalie smiled at seeing Emmett, who looked pretty dashing in his tuxedo, and pressed a quick kiss to his cheek. Then Emmett looked at Danielle.

"Wow, sis." He said with wide eyes. "You look gorgeous."

"Thank you, Emmett."

"We're going down now, sweetie!" Lynne said. "See you in a few."

"Don't worry, you look wonderful." Alice said as she started making her way for the door.

"You really do." Rosalie offered with a tiny smile. Danielle returned it gratefully, glad she was slowly starting to work her way through Rosalie's hard exterior.

"Thank you." Danielle said looking around at all of them. As the other three women disappeared Danielle walked over to Emmett and Bella. She was ready to get this show on the road, her groom was waiting downstairs!

"Ready to go?" Emmett asked, holding out his arm.

Danielle nodded. She'd asked Emmett to be the one to walk her down the aisle since he'd been one of her very best friends since she'd moved to Forks. Of course, Emmett had agreed immediately then proceeded to hug her until she thought her eyes would pop out of her head.

"Alright. I'm going down now." Bella said nervously when they reached the top of the stairs as Rosalie took her seat at the piano and began playing. She could hear the hushed conversation amongst the crowd. Danielle and Bella hugged for a moment then Bella was off down the stairs, her face bright red.

"I'm really glad you're officially becoming apart of the family." Emmett said, covering her hand on his elbow with his much larger one. "I couldn't have picked a better bride for my brother. You two deserve each other."

Danielle smiled up at him and removed her arm to hug him. "Thanks, you big oaf. Now I'm about to cry." She said. He hugged her back and laughed.

"You look gorgeous anyway."

As Rosalie moved onto the traditional walking down the aisle theme, Danielle slipped her hand back into his elbow and, again, his hand covered hers. "Ready?"

"More then ready." She said with broad grin.

They reached the end of the stairs and Danielle blushed at the chorus of "ahh"s and "ooh"s when she came into view. A few pictures were snapped, probably by her mother, but the only thing she was interested in was finding Jasper. As soon as their eyes met, she thanked God she'd had Emmett there to hold her up because her knees nearly gave out on her and she would have fallen on her face in front of everyone.

He was in a traditional tuxedo but he was breathtaking. She could just barely see a slash of color on his cheeks from the previous night of hunting and she was sure that when she reached him his eyes would be the most wonderful color of butterscotch. His hair was framing his face as gloriously as it always did. His expression was of the purest love and it made butterflies erupt wildly in her stomach.

Emmett began escorting her slowly down the aisle, but she wasn't looking at anyone but Jasper. She barely even noticed Carlisle standing behind him out of her peripheral vision. All she knew was Emmett was moving entirely too slow.

The crowd laughed as they saw her try to move him a bit quicker with a pull of her arm and Jasper flashed her the biggest grin that had her heart beating in over time.

After what seemed like ages, they'd finally reached Jasper. Emmett leaned down to kiss the top of her hair then took his seat, Rosalie joining him shortly after. Danielle handed her bouquet to Bella and immediately Jasper grabbed both of her hands.

"You look gorgeous." He said quietly, his facial expression clearly showing everyone how much he loved her even as he sent a wave of love over her. She heard a few people sigh from the front row but ignored it.

"So do you, Jazz." She said just as quietly. Jasper winked at her.

And then they began. She hardly listened to the priest during the whole ceremony, her thoughts completely preoccupied with the vampire standing in front of her. He was staring down at her like he might burst from happiness at any given moment and she knew that her expression was exactly the same. They said the traditional vows to each other, their faces in huge grins.

Finally, the big moment had arrived. "Do you Danielle Katherine Clark to this man, Jasper Whitlock Hale, to be your lawfully wedded husband? To have and to hold, to love and to comfort, for better or for worse, for as long as you both shall live?"

Danielle smiled even wider and squeezed his hands. "I do." She said clearly.

"And do you Jasper Whitlock Hale, take this woman, Danielle Katherine Clark, to be your lawfully wedded wife? To have and to hold, to love and to comfort, for better or for worse, for as long as you both shall live?"

"I do." He said proudly.

"The rings please."

Danielle reached behind her and grabbed the ring she and Jasper had picked out together while he did the same. The bands were simple white gold bands.

They quickly slid them onto each others fingers then looked at the priest expectantly.

"By the power invested in me, I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss the bride." The priest said with a smile.

Jasper immediately put his hands on either side of her neck and swooped in for a kiss. Danielle wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him back enthusiastically while the crowd cheered. They pulled away a moment later and turned to face the crowd of their friends and family, Jasper kissing her temple in the process.

"You're mine forever now, darlin'." Jasper said in her ear.

"I already was." She assured him before they made their way back down the aisle.

--

The reception went very smoothly afterward. After they'd greeted everyone and thanked each individual for coming out, they posed for any pictures that their guests might wants to take. Danielle was seeing spots for a very long time afterwards.

They'd kept true to all the wedding traditions between Danielle tossing the bouquet, which to everyone's chagrin landed in Bella's hands, to cutting the wedding cake. Jasper had been a good sport and swallowed the cake obediently when she shoved it into his mouth.

The most embarrassing part had been when it came time for Jasper to remove the garter. He had exposed her leg, despite her exclamation on embarrassment, and very, very carefully removed it with his teeth with a mischievous glint in his eye, his hands caressing her leg the entire way. She'd turned bright red and Emmett, Edward, and even Carlisle had gotten a huge kick out of it. Jasper had snapped it towards Edward with a wink.

They did their first dance to David Gray's "The One I Love", which had been Danielle's one begging request of him. Jasper, even if he didn't want to admit, had started to like David Gray just as much as she did. She'd forced him to listen to his music as much as possible in a ploy to get him to agree on this song for their first dance.

When it came time for them to dance with their parents, Danielle shared a warm smile with Carlisle. They'd already agreed that he would be more then suitable as her dancing partner. Jasper and Esme were twirling around the dance floor near them.

The reception lasted well into the night, Danielle never leaving Jasper's side.

She leaned up and kissed his chin while they were dancing to a slow song and tightened her arms around his neck. Jasper leaned his head down further to be able to kiss her. A few people "aw"ed near them.

"I'm so happy right now." Danielle said to him, her fingers twirling into his hair.

"So am I. I can't even begin to describe it to you." He said with a caress of her cheek. "Finally, after all these years of being alone, I'm complete."

Danielle grinned and they kissed again until Alice forcefully moved her away from him. Jasper frowned, as did Danielle.

"You need to get changed! Both of you!" Alice said sternly.

"Oh, fine." Danielle said with defeat as she allowed Alice to pull her up the stairs. "I love you!"

"I love you, too!" Jasper said back as he went to a different part of the house to change.

"Thank you, Alice." Danielle said when they reached her room. "The wedding was perfect."

Alice smiled and pulled her into a hug. "You're more then welcome, sis." Then she helped Danielle remove her dress at vampire speed and presented her with a white and yellow sundress. "The faster you change, the quicker you can get back to your husband." Alice said with a wink.

Danielle didn't need to be told twice and she quickly slipped it on. It was tight across her torso then widened at her hips to poof out just slightly at her knees. She slipped on some flats to go with it while Alice very quickly undid the intricate hairstyle Danielle had been wearing. The two hugged again.

"You can go now!" Alice said bounding out of the room. When Danielle exited the room Jasper was waiting in a pair of nice shoes, nice jeans, and a brown button up shirt with his sleeves rolled up to just below his elbow.

"You look wonderful." Danielle said as she hugged him again.

"You do too. Let's get out of here, we have a plane to catch."

"Where are we going?" Danielle asked in surprise. She'd thought they were just going to stay nearby.

"You'll see. It's our wedding gift from Carlisle and Esme." He said. He kissed her once more then they went to the top of the stairs. At once the crowd started cheering and they posed a few more times for pictures before going down the stairs and making a run for the car amongst the rain of birdseeds.

They both smiled and waved as they reached the Mercedes, calling out some last goodbyes, then Jasper helped her in before running around to the other side of the car. Danielle waved once more to the cheering crowd then Jasper threw the car into drive and sped off.

--

**A/N: Yay, weddings! Review!**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: So I have good news. I don't get to write nearly as much as I would like because I write on the family desktop and only when my brother isn't home (don't want him peeking over my shoulder and such). So, since I'm sure everyone is tired of me hogging the computer, I'm going to get a laptop. Yay! That means I'll get to write way more then I am now. Aren't you excited? **

**Here's the next chapter! Enjoy! **

**Oh, and WANRING. THIS CHAPTER SUGGESTS SOME ADULT SITUATIONS. Don't read it if you don't dig that kind of stuff, though I didn't go into any detail what-so-ever. **

**Disclaimer: I own nothing related to the Twilight series!**

--

"I forgot how hot other cities could be." Danielle said as they stepped out of the taxi they'd taken from the airport. She'd lost count of how long they'd been traveling for. Truth be told, she was just happy to have her feet on solid ground.

"It is a bit easy to forget when you live in a place like Forks." Jasper commented.

He grinned down at her and grabbed her hand, squeezing it in his own, before leading her down the dock they'd reach and past a row of white yachts.

"I probably shouldn't be surprised that your family owns a yacht, but I am." Danielle said with a small laugh. It was nighttime, of course, and the sky above them was clear, allowing the moon and stars to shine out brightly.

"It's not really a yacht, but why are you surprised that _our _family," he corrected with a grin, "owns a boat?"

"My bad." She said with a grin. "Keep forgetting we're married now. And I'm surprised because the family just doesn't seem the type that would be into the whole sailing the ocean and sunbathing in skimpy bikinis while dancing around and drinkin champagne scene."

Jasper laughed and wrapped his arm around her. "You obviously haven't traveled with us much." He said with just a hint of sarcasm behind it.

Danielle mock glared and secured her own arm around his waist. "Nobody likes sarcasm, Mr. Hale."

"Right back at you, Mrs. Hale."

That had her grinning like a fool.

"And how could you forget about being married? It certainly hasn't escaped my mind." Jasper said, a slight frown on his lips.

Danielle stretched far to kiss the frown off his lips. "Because you're just too wonderful and perfect to belong to me for the rest of our lives in anything but a dream."

Jasper rolled his eyes. "You're ridiculous sometimes."

"You love me."

"I do."

They'd reached a boat smaller then the rest. Danielle noticed that it still luxurious, maybe even nicer then the others. Jasper effortlessly hauled the bags onto the boat then quickly jumped aboard before reaching down to help her. She watched him as he prepared the boat to leave and couldn't resist wrapping her arms around him from behind, her lips kissing his shoulder through his shirt before craning to reach the back of his neck. She felt him shudder a bit against her.

"Pardon me, Danielle Katherine Whitlock Hale, but are you trying to seduce me?" Jasper asked. Danielle could hear his cheeky smile through his voice.

"And what if I am, my dearest husband?" She asked with a grin.

Jasper looked down over his shoulder at her with a smoldering gaze. She had to hold onto him tightly to keep from falling over. "Then I'd say you beat me to the punch."

Her breath caught in her throat as he turned around to face her. "Whether I beat you to the punch or not, I think you're doing a better job." She said with a shaky voice.

Jasper smirked and pressed his lips to hers very slowly. "You do a better job then you think."

She would have gotten completely lost in his next kiss if he hadn't eventually pulled away and directed her towards one of the seats on shaky legs. "We need to get going." He said with a wicked grin as he pulled the boat out smoothly.

Danielle found that the breeze whipping around her and the spray of the ocean calmed her down a little bit but that didn't mean that she didn't keep glancing over at Jasper. He looked too adorable as he concentrated on steering the boat to wherever he was taking them. His eyes met hers a few times and each time they shared a knowing smile.

After twenty minutes Jasper motioned for her to join him, putting an arm around her when she did.

"We're here." He said with a grin over the loud roar of the engine.

"Where's here?" Danielle asked, seeing nothing but blackness.

Jasper pointed out a space of darkness that Danielle suddenly realized was the silhouette of a small island. She watched it grow and take shape until Jasper pulled the boat into a space next to a wooden dock and cut the engine.

"This is Isle Esme." He said.

"Isle Esme?" Danielle asked in confusion.

He nodded. "Carlisle gave it to Esme a long time ago as a gift. They're letting us borrow it for however long we want."

Danielle smiled and made a mental note to thank her new in-laws.

Jasper jumped out with the suitcases they'd brought and quickly secured the boat to the dock before reaching up to help her out. Jasper grabbed her hand in one of his and the suitcases with his free one before they set off.

"Do they come here often?" Danielle asked.

"They haven't in a while but they used to come here every few months or so. You don't exactly get a lot of private time in our house." Jasper explained.

"Oh." She said feeling a bit disappointed at that revelation.

Jasper stopped their progress and smiled down at her. "Don't worry. I've got our situation taken care of."

When they started moving again Danielle asked him what he meant. "I'm too selfish to share you right now." Jasper said, winking down at her. "I think, as newlyweds, we're allowed at least a year or so to ourselves."

"You bought us a house?" She asked, wondering if he could be any more perfect.

"I built one, actually." Jasper confessed.

Yep. He _could _get more perfect. "Where?" Danielle asked.

"Not far from the others, it's just a way down the river so we'll be able to visit literally any time we want while still being away from our prying relatives."

Danielle smiled and pulled his hand up to kiss it. "I love you."

"I love you, too." He said just as they broke through the trees to the warm, welcoming porch lights of a small house.

They walked right up to the porch and Jasper turned the handle of the unlocked door, pushing it open. He set the suitcase just inside the door then turned to her and picked her up effortlessly into his arms.

"As tradition." He said with a grin before walking them across the threshold. He paused when she leaned forward to rest her forehead against his temple, her arms tight around his neck. Then he continued walking through the house, kicking the front door shut gently behind them and never setting her back down. He flipped on a few light switches here and there as they walked through the house, but he never really paid attention to what he was doing.

Jasper had his eyes locked intently on hers and she didn't even want to look away. Her fingers seemed perfectly content with tracing his features as they walked.

Finally, their journey ended once they reached a room towards the back of the house and he finally set her down. Danielle took one moment to glance around and her eyes momentarily paused on a huge white bed that was overflowing with pillows and was draped with mosquito netting.

Her eyes slid closed as Jasper's lips slowly kissed along the line of her jaw. Without hesitation, her arms slid around him and she pulled herself closer to him.

"Are you nervous?" Jasper asked, though she knew he would already know.

"Only a bit." Danielle said looking up into his darkened eyes. "Are you?"

"Only a bit." He said with a small, comforting smile on his face.

Very, very slowly he pressed his lips to hers. It was like their first kiss all over again, only a million times sweeter. His fingers gently brushed through her hair as he sighed against her lips.

"We can do this, Jazz." She said encouragingly when their lips separated just barely. When he smiled she felt it against her lips.

"I know."

Then he scooped her up again to walk over to the gigantic bed and lay her down gently. With a comforting smile on his face, he slowly lowered himself until her was stretched out on top of her.

"I love you." He said, his eyes scorching.

"I love you, too."

Then Jasper pressed his lips firmly to hers.

--

It was certainly different waking up on Isle Esme then it was waking up in Forks, Washington. She could hear the waves crashing on the shore and the whistle of the wind through the trees. And the _sunlight_. Her eyelids were red with how bright it was in the room.

Normally, she would have been sweltering after being so used to the cool and rainy weather of Forks, but right now she was cool and comfortable since she was wrapped up in the arms and legs of her husband.

"Good morning." He said in her ear.

Danielle cracked an eye open and saw him smiling down at her tenderly. "Hi." She said shyly.

Jasper moved closer and kissed her lips tenderly, a far cry from how he'd kissed her the night before. Just thinking about it now made her body heat up. Jasper pulled her closer and she felt the entire length of his bare body pressed against hers. It would have been enough to blush, but she reminded herself that he was her husband now and this wasn't something to be embarassed about.

"How do you feel?" He asked quietly as his fingers traced the length of her arm.

Very slowly she stretched out some of her limbs, only feeling the slightest twinge of soreness…but it was a good soreness. "A bit sore but I expected it. And it's not really a _bad _sore either." She said. "How about you?"

"Exquisite." Jasper said, his fingers running through her hair then down the length of her spine. "Anything special you'd like to do today?" He asked.

"Nope. In fact, I'm perfectly fine with lying in bed with you all day long." Danielle said with a smile as she let her hand slide over his back.

"I was hoping you would say that." Jasper said.

Danielle let her eyes slide closed again and snuggled as close as she could next to him. The night before had gone off without a hitch. Everything had been slow, careful…and perfect. She was definitely going to have no problem getting used to _that_.

Just as she was about to slip back into a pleasant slumber her stomach growled. She realized she hadn't had a full meal since the afternoon before, not really having a chance to eat at the wedding. Danielle opened her eyes and smiled up at Jasper sheepishly.

"Hungry?" Jasper asked with a chuckle.

"You know how my stomach is."

"If it's deprived of food, it's in a bad mood." Jasper said with an overly dramatic roll of his eyes. It'd become a little saying around the Cullen house whenever Danielle got hungry enough that her stomach would growl. "Let me go hunt for you." Jasper said, pressing a kiss to her lips. Danielle blushed when he jumped out of the bed, not caring about his state of undress around her, but then her eyes widened.

The room had immediately become brighter as soon as the sun had hit his skin. Jasper was _sparkling_.

"Jasper!" She exclaimed in a gasp.

He turned around to face her then realization dawned on his features. "I forgot I'd never told you about this." He said sheepishly.

"So _this _is why you can't go into the sun?" Danielle asked, getting out of the bed to stand in front of him.

"Yes. This is was happens to our skin if we stand in the sun." Jasper said.

Danielle reached out to touch him. He looked like he had a million tiny diamonds imbedded into his skin but she already knew that his skin would be smooth and soft as soon as she touched him. There was a perfect shadow cast where her hand was blocking the light from his chest.

"Wow."

When her eyes finally met his, after a few minutes of ogling him, she noticed how much darker his had become in the past few moments. That was when her shock at seeing him in the sun for the first time wore off and she realized she was still not wearing clothes.

"Oh." She said blushing wildly. Jasper only grinned and grabbed her gently when she went to go cover herself up and pulled her back to him.

"It's nothing I haven't already seen." Jasper said with a soft laugh, his lips on her forehead.

Danielle nodded. "I guess I should get used to it?"

"Yep." He said with a cheeky grin. "What was I doing, again?" Jasper asked, even as his eyes did a quick sweep of her body.

"Food for your wife." Danielle reminded him.

He nodded and kissed her lips before moving away to slide on a pair of boxers. With one last wink he walked out of the bedroom.

Immediately, Danielle grabbed his brown button up shirt, which had been discarded carelessly last night, and threw it on. She wondered curiously why there were some buttons missing but shrugged it off and went to join him in the kitchen after she buttoned the remaining ones.

"Is cereal all right? I'm afraid it's all I know how to fix at the moment." Jasper said unsurely.

"Sounds great." Danielle said as she took a seat at the table. Jasper turned and smiled widely.

"You look good in my clothes."

Danielle smiled and accepted the bowl of cereal before eating it hungrily. "So what are we going to do once we go back to Forks?" She asked curiously. They hadn't really discussed it.

Jasper shrugged. "We can do whatever. If you want to try out college you can but I have more then enough money to support us comfortably for a long time to come."

Danielle considered her options. "To tell you the truth, I'd rather just hang around you all day."

Jasper smiled. "I'd have no problem with that, like I told you, I'm extremely selfish now. You just want to be a housewife while I bring home the bacon?"

Danielle laughed. "Geez, when you put it that way." She said sarcastically. "I'll need a treadmill, otherwise I'll turn into a couch potato and weigh three hundred pounds."

"Not possible. With the amount of physical activity you and I will be participating in, that won't happen."

Danielle blushed, while Jasper grinned at her wickedly, and quickly finished off her food.

"You know, come to think of it, I would like to get out of the house today. Go explore or swim…this place is gorgeous." Danielle said thoughtfully.

"That's fine with me."

"Plus I'd be a bit embarrassed if all I could tell Esme about her island is that she has a very comfortable and sturdy bed."

"I'm pretty sure Esme would understand." He said with a suggestive smile and a quirk of his eyebrow. This totally new side of Jasper was extremely lethal, Danielle decided as her body heated up a tad.

"Maybe we should bring a radio with us, then you can serve as the disco ball and we'll have a dance party by the ocean." Danielle joked to lighten the atmosphere a bit. Jasper couldn't hold back his laughter.

"I'm sure I should be offended by that in some way, but I'm not."

Danielle smiled and leaned over to kiss him. "It's because you love me."

Jasper growled and pulled her back for another kiss but she managed to push herself off him, knowing it was only because Jasper had let her. "C'mon, hubby. We're going swimming."

This was how much of their stay at Isle Esme went for the next three weeks. By day, they would lounge in the sun or find something to do like snorkeling, swimming, or hiking. Some evenings after the sun had gone down Jasper would take her back to the mainland and they would spend time mingling with the locals and picking up little things here and there to take back to Forks with them. One of her favorite trips had been when Jasper had taken her out for a night of dancing at a small dance club he'd found in Rio. Alice had also packed them a bag of all of Danielle's favorite movies that Jasper hadn't seen and they spent all their other early evenings watching them whenever they didn't leave the island.

Danielle had been pleased when Jasper had said he liked most of them, but was very amused when during a Lord of the Rings marathon Jasper very vocally expressed that he didn't appreciate her fondness for Legolas, the skilled archer that traveled with the fellowship. She hadn't been able to stop laughing when he mentioned it was a good thing the elf wasn't real or he'd be dead in an instant by Jasper's hand out of pure jealously. Danielle had spent the night assuring him that a real Legolas wouldn't have meant a darn thing to her. No one even came close to comparing to her Jasper.

That was how the majority of their nights went, not that Danielle was complaining. Since Jasper was now completely comfortable in the fact that he could handle their relationship from all aspects, it was hard to get him to keep his hands off of her. The only thing she didn't like was that the constant closeness meant Jasper needed to go hunting on the mainland a bit more often then he normally did back home. She'd grown accustomed to waking up every three or four days alone with a note and a beautiful tropical flower of some sort on the pillow next to her.

Then the much dreaded day came that the small silver phone Jasper had brought began to ring. No one had dared to interrupt their honeymoon yet, so Danielle figured that this better be important or whoever was calling was going to get an earful.

Jasper sighed and got out of the bed to grab it before retuning. She immediately snuggled back up against his body.

"Hello?" He asked as his arm wound around her.

"Hey, Alice. Perfectly, we're having a great time." Jasper paused and she saw him roll his eyes. "That's an absurd question that doesn't even deserve an answer." Danielle looked up at him curiously and he shook his head. "Yeah, I remember you mentioning it before we left."… "I _suppose _we can drag ourselves away from our perfect paradise to show our faces again." Danielle laughed softly and rested her head on his chest, listening to his voice rumble underneath her ear. "Two days? Yeah, we'll be there."… "I promise! Sheesh, calm down." Jasper said in exasperation. "Alice says hi."

Danielle didn't even lift her head. "Tell her I said hello."

"She says hello. Now can we get back to our honeymoon while we still can?"… "Yes, I realize we've been gone for nearly a month." Danielle grinned. "_Bye_, Alice." Then he snapped the phone shut.

"Why are we leaving?" Danielle asked with a frown, propping her chin up on his hard chest.

"Bella's birthday is in two days and Alice is throwing a party. She insists it wouldn't be complete unless we were there."

"Oh, fine. Pushy little vamp." Danielle said moodily. "I just started to get a tan, too." Jasper just laughed.

"What was that absurd question she asked you?"

"She asked if I'd turned you yet." Jasper said haughtily. "Like I have no self-control or something."

Danielle moved her head to press a kiss on his sternum. "So we only have a few days left?"

"One, to be realistic. It'll take a while to get back to Forks." Jasper said, his lips forming a frown.

"Then as long as we're doubting your self-control, would you like to execute your lack of it on me?" Danielle asked with a wiggle of her eyebrow.

She could only giggle as he flipped her lighting fast and crawled on top of her.

--

Danielle pouted for the umpteenth time as Jasper made sure everything was tidy in the house.

"Remind me to ignore Alice after the birthday party." She said moodily.

Jasper smiled as he walked over towards her, turning all the lights off in the process. "I don't want to leave either." He said once he reached her. He kissed her gently with a sigh.

They both took a moment to take a last look at the house before Jasper grabbed her hand and started tugging her towards the door, laughing softly when Danielle murmured angrily under her breath at having to leave. Jasper loaded the boat quickly then helped her up before getting the boat prepared for departure.

"Do you think they'll let us come back someday?"

Jasper nodded. "I'm sure they will. They let Emmett and Rosalie come here a few times."

Danielle brightened a bit. This place had been her and Jasper's haven and she was sad that they had to leave to return to a semi-normal life. "Good. I'd love to come back here with you."

Jasper smiled and pulled her into his side, his lips finding her temple. "Me too." He said before starting the boat.

The engine roared loudly and Danielle took a seat right next to where he was standing, watching wistfully as the island got smaller and smaller, and they headed back to the mainland before eventually they'd make their way back to Forks.

--

**A/N: Review, you know you want to.**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: And yay! Another chapter! Who knoooows what lurks ahead for you lovely readers! Muahaha!**

**Enjoy! Oh, and sorry about all those typos in the previous chapter! I went back and read it and was shocked out how much I messed up! My bad. I was more careful with this chapter.**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing related to the Twilight series!**

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Danielle had been nearly crushed in a hug as soon as they crossed the threshold into the Cullen house. Her breath left her in a giant whoosh as she was lifted and twirled and Danielle had to laugh at how strange this must look considering it was tiny little Alice twirling her around.

"I'm so glad you're back! It's been so dull around here!" She said happily after she let her down. "We thought you two were _never _going to come back." Alice held her out at arms length. "You're so _tan_!"

"Trust me, if I had it my way, we wouldn't have." Jasper said after he shut the door. Danielle nudged him with her elbow.

"I'm really not _that _tan. I only look it because you're so pasty."

Alice pouted.

"Why don't I get greetings like that when I return from long trips?" Emmett asked from the other side of the room, his arms crossed. He and Rosalie had returned from Africa for the party.

Alice rolled her eyes at him and turned back to Danielle with a bright smile. "Esme and I were just about to start decorating and Rosalie doesn't want to help, do you?"

"Yeah, sure." Danielle said. She shot a smile towards Jasper as she was dragged away and he returned it before Emmett walked over to him.

"How was the honeymoon?" Alice asked as they entered the other room and sorted through the decorations littering the floor.

"Wonderful. I didn't want to leave."

"I've only been on Isle Esme a few times, but it sure was pretty. You _did _get to explore a little, right?" Alice asked with a stern look.

"Of course! We even went to the mainland a few times. Oh, which reminds me…I need to wrap that painting for Bella." Danielle mused to herself.

"Did you get _me _anything?" Alice asked with a glint in her eye.

"I think you already know we got a little something for everyone." Danielle laughed.

Alice laughed, too, and hugged her. "Thank you for the vase, it's really pretty."

"Danielle! I thought I heard your voice!" Esme said with a smile as she entered the room. They shared a hug. "How did you like my island?"

"It was lovely. Thank you _so _much for letting Jasper and I stay there."

"Oh, it was no problem." Esme assured her. "I trust my son let you see the island outside of the walls of the house, yes?"

Danielle nodded with a smile. "Yes, he did."

"They even went to the mainland." Alice mocked with a silly face.

"That was a good idea." Esme said.

"Yep. We got a little something for everyone but it's all packed up. I'll be sure to get it to you as soon as we're finished decorating." Danielle said, even as Alice shoved a few Japanese lanterns into her arms.

"That's very sweet of you. I'm sure I'll love whatever you got for me." Esme said sweetly as she, too, was loaded down with Japanese lanterns.

"We only have a few hours! Less chatter and more decorating!" Alice commanded.

They hadn't even needed that amount of time to finish up with the house. Between Alice and Esme's speed they'd finished decorating and perfecting everything within an hour. There had been a brief interruption when Emmett had refused to let Danielle out of the hug he claimed he'd been 'robbed out of' when she first came back, but eventually he let her go after a warning growl from Alice. She didn't mess around when it came to parties.

"Are you done? Am I allowed to talk to you or will I get mauled for interrupting the decorating process?" Jasper asked quietly, even as he stealthily snuck over.

"We just finished."

"Good." He said draping an arm over her shoulder. "Come with me."

Danielle nodded and let him lead her out of the house before they started walking down the length of the river. Immediately she became excited.

"Are we going to see the house?" She asked, practically jumping up and down.

"Yep." Jasper said with a grin.

Danielle could hardly keep their leisurely pace and tried to get him to hurry up, but just to annoy her he kept his slow pace.

"You're mean."

"And you're beautiful." Jasper shot back. Danielle simply looked away with a smile. When she did, she knew she'd reached their destination. Right in front of her was the house.

It was perfect. Immediately she felt tears well up in her eyes at the small white cottage that was in front of her. It looked just big enough for two people and had a gravel pathway leading up to the green front door. There was a chimney poking up from the roof and on all the windows were green shutters.

"What do you think?" Jasper asked, wrapping his arms around her from behind. She felt the weight of his chin on her shoulder and she smiled happily. Her hands covered his.

"It's perfect. It even has shutters." Danielle said. "And they're green." The emotion was thick in her voice.

"Your favorite color."

Danielle turned in his arms and kissed him. "Could you be any more perfect? I mean, really…it's almost ridiculous how perfect you are."

Jasper just smiled and kissed her forehead. "Do you want to see the inside?"

"Duh." She said tearing herself from his arms and running up to the front door. She laughed when a moment later he scooped her up into his arms. "We've already done the whole threshold thing." Danielle reminded him, even as she wrapped her arms around his neck.

"I know, but you know, it's a new house. So why not?"

"I'm not complaining." She said as he somehow managed to unlock the door and walk in.

Again, it was perfect. Between the soft yellow walls and the comfortable looking, but still cottage looking, furniture, she couldn't think of any house more perfect. It far surpassed her expectations. She could see their lugged by the front door and figured Jasper must have brought it back while she was busy.

"Esme helped me pick out the furniture." Jasper admitted as he set her down.

"I feel like I'm in an old time cottage." Danielle said as she let her hand glide over the couch. "I love it!" She said ecstatically before running over to Jasper and jumping into his arms to hug him and kiss his cheek. "Did you do this _all _by yourself?"

"No." Jasper admitted. "Emmett, Edward, and Carlisle helped me."

"Must have been done pretty quick then." Danielle mused.

"Yeah, it didn't take long at all."

Jasper then looked over at the clock. "Bella will be at the house soon."

"Who cares?" Danielle asked as she laid her head on his shoulder.

"Alice will. She'll come right over here and drag us out to the party if we don't show up." Jasper reminded her.

Danielle sighed. "Ok, fine. I'm going to take a shower then. We do have one, right?"

"Of course." Jasper said with a grin.

Danielle let him lead her to the bedroom, to which the bathroom was attached, then she playfully shoved him away when he tried to follow her into the bathroom. "No sir. We will be in there _forever_."

"So?" he asked, trying to come back in but letting her restrain him. He had a cheeky grin stretched across his handsome face.

"Nope." She said firmly. "I'll be out in fifteen minutes and I expect you to be dressed and ready for her party, mister."

"You're beginning to sound like Alice." He grumbled as he let her short the door.

--

"Where is she?" Danielle asked. She'd forgotten how much she missed her friend until Alice had informed them all that she was on her way. Jasper had to keep a hand on her shoulder to keep her from bouncing around the room anxiously.

"Stop that!" He said in exasperation as he sent a wave of calm over her. "You're making _me _anxious."

Danielle calmed momentarily but anything Jasper had done immediately wore off as the door opened. She and Jasper were standing behind Emmett and Rosalie so they couldn't see her but she knew Bella was there. This was part of the surprise though so she dutifully stayed in her spot.

She heard Carlisle and Esme greet Bella before Emmett began talking. "You haven't changed at all. I expected a perceptible difference, but here you are, red-faces like always."

"Thanks a lot, Emmett." She heard Bella say. Danielle thought she picked up on a hint of sarcasm behind that.

"I have to step out for a second. Don't do anything funny while I'm gone." Emmett said.

"I'll try." Bella assured him cautiously.

Then Emmett moved off to the side and Bella was standing right in front of her. Bella froze for a second then she smiled widely. "Danielle! You're back!"

Edward and Jasper both smiled on as they shared a hug and Danielle felt like she might burst. The past month had simply been too wonderful and now that she was reunited with her best friend on top of it, it couldn't get much better.

"We came back just for your party." Danielle explained. "And I don't care how much you don't like people saying it, happy freaking birthday!"

Bella cracked a smile then turned to Jasper. "Hi, Jasper." She said.

"Hello, Bella."

Bella turned back to Danielle. "You'll have to tell me all about the honeymoon."

"Absolutely."

"Time for presents." Alice declared happily, her hands held out like she was about to break into a chorus line.

"Alice…" Bella started.

"Let us spoil you on your birthday!" Danielle interrupted.

Bella sighed as Alice took the camera out of Bella's hands and handed her a big, square box. "It's from Emmett and Rosalie." Alice said, practically bouncing up and down. Danielle bit back a laugh at her sister-in-law's obvious joy.

When Bella opened it she stared at the empty box in wonder. "Er…thanks." She said unsurely.

"It's a stereo for your truck." Jasper explained. "Emmett is installing it so you can't return it."

"Thanks Rosalie." Bella said with a laugh. "Thank you, Emmett!" She called.

"Ours next." Danielle declared stepping forward with her medium sized gift.

"This is big." Bella said, giving her a disdainful look.

"Deal with it." Danielle shot back as she went back to Jasper's side. He wrapped his arm around her waist.

Bella unwrapped the gift and Danielle watched in delight as her jaw dropped. "You guys, this is beautiful."

It was a painting they'd picked up in Rio. It was a still life portrait of a thick, green forest with a bright moon shining over the tops of the trees. They'd been surprised to see a painting like that in Rio and it had reminded both of them of Forks so they'd agreed it would be a good present for Bella then picked up a similar one for themselves.

"I really like it." Bella admitted. "Thank you."

"You're welcome." She and Jasper said at the same time. Danielle felt very pleased with herself.

"Open mine and Edward's next." Alice said. There was a small, square box in her hand.

Bella set the painting off to the side and glared at Edward. "You promised."

Emmett cut off whatever Edward was about to say and he bounded back in behind Danielle and Jasper. "Just in time!" He announced.

"I didn't spend a dime." Edward said.

"Give it to me." Bella sighed as she held her hand out to Alice. Danielle felt Jasper move closer, and since his arm was around her, she moved closer, too. Emmett was moving with them, chuckling lightly behind them.

Bella rolled her eyes and she stuck her finger under a fold in the wrapping to jerk it open.

"Shoot!" She said, holding her finger up.

"Did you slice your finger?" Danielle asked.

But then Edward was throwing Bella out of the way. "No!" He roared loudly.

It had just barely registered in Danielle's head that Jasper had released her when suddenly a strong pair of hands had lifted her off the ground and she was thrown into a rock hard body. At the same time a vicious growl sounded through the air. She winced as the sound of two hard bodies crashing resounded through the room like two boulders clashing against each other.

It took her another moment to realize that Emmett had flung her into Carlisle's arms, who had been standing a few feet away from her and Jasper.

Her shocked eyes turned to see her husband snarling and snapping his teeth as both Edward and Emmett restrained him, but his eyes were focused only on a shocked and badly bleeding Bella. She'd gashed her arm open on the table when Edward threw her out of the way.

Everything had happened so fast. One minute Jasper had been perfectly calm and the next…he was rabid. She'd never seen him like _this_. Sure Danielle had been there when Jasper had killed James but this was different. He was wild with hunger. Danielle should have felt fear of Jasper right then, she knew deep down she should, but all she wanted to do was try to calm him down.

Carlisle held her tightly when she tried to break free to go to Jasper. Only a second had passed. "No, Danielle. It's not safe!" Carlisle said firmly.

"Jasper, _stop_!" Danielle cried when Carlisle wouldn't release her, ignoring his statement.

Everyone, even Danielle, watched in shocked surprise as Jasper's struggling ceased almost immediately, his growls dying in his throat. Only another second had passed. He'd stopped struggling completely now, his eyes downcast.

Edward didn't drop his guard as Emmett pulled Jasper away, unsure if Jasper was going to lose it again.

"Why don't you and Jasper go outside?" Carlisle suggested to Emmett. Emmett nodded and led Jasper outside. He wasn't struggling with him.

Danielle watched him go then tried to pry Carlisle's arms from around her. "Let me go!" She said. "Please!"

"It might not be safe, Danielle. You should stay away."

"Carlisle, he's my husband and he needs me!" Danielle said firmly.

Carlisle watched her, seemed to think about it, and then very reluctantly let her go. "Keep Emmett nearby." He commanded, though he didn't sound happy about it.

Danielle nodded and took off out the door. She noticed that Emmett and Jasper were struggling again, but this time it seemed like Emmett was trying to keep Jasper from leaving.

"Jasper!" Danielle cried as she ran over.

Jasper froze but Emmett kept a firm grip on him.

"Where the hell do you think you're trying to go?" She asked him once she was standing in front of him.

"It's not safe with me around." He said angrily, his eye pitch black. "You need to stay away."

Danielle sighed in exasperation. "I'm not going anywhere and neither are you. Now just…calm down." She said gently.

Jasper closed his eyes and breathed heavily. Emmett watched him cautiously. "I'm sorry." Jasper said a moment later. He sounded agonized.

Danielle ignored Emmett's warning look and moved close enough to rest her hand on Jasper's cheek. "It's fine. Nothing happened, Jazz."

Jasper's shoulder shook and she was sure that if he could have cried, he would be right then. "I was doing so good." He said brokenly. "I was sure I could contain it but then one little tiny drop of blood and I lose it." Jasper finally met her eyes and she noticed that the anger had faded out of them and was replaced with sadness. "I'm too unstable for you, Danielle. I'm too dangerous."

"No." She said firmly. "Don't start this again."

"You saw what happened in there!" Jasper said incredulously. Emmett very slowly released him, sensing that they needed a moment to talk without him being right in their faces, but he only backed up a few feet. Jasper didn't make any move to leave.

"Yes, and I also saw that as soon as I asked you to stop you _did_."

"What if I don't stop next time? What if it's _you _next time?" he asked, his eyes pained again.

"It won't be." Jasper scoffed and grabbed his face firmly. "_It won't be_." She said again. "I was right next to you, Jasper. It would have been even easier for you to turn your head and rip _my_ throat out in that state then go after Bella," Jasper cringed violently at the image she painted for him, "but you _didn't_. You _let me go_."

Jasper went silent as he stared down at her and she could see the storm of emotions in his eyes.

"I calmed you down, Jasper. I can keep you in check and you know it." She said determinedly. "I love you and I'm not letting you leave. We both made the promise, Hale. For better or worse. And if you think I'm going to let you leave my side, you've lost your mind."

"You wouldn't be able to stop me if I did." Jasper said lamely. She knew she'd already won.

"I'd just come after you."

Jasper sighed and she wrapped her arms around him. She could tell that he was still being cautious and she only hugged him tighter until his arms finally slid around her.

"It'll be fine. We'll be ok." She assured him. "I have faith in you."

Jasper didn't say anything and simply leaned down to rest his forehead against her shoulder.

"Will you two be ok?" Emmett asked quietly.

Danielle nodded. "He's fine." She said as she rubbing his bath soothingly.

"I don't understand how you can still have faith in me after that." Jasper said quietly once Emmett left.

"Because that's not you, Jasper. _This _is you." She said squeezing him tightly. She felt him cling to her more.

They stood like that for a long time and Danielle could see different members of the family poking their head out the door to check on them every few minutes.

"How can I face Bella after that? I feel so terrible." Jasper said as he lifted his head.

"You don't have to right now if you don't want."

As if he'd heard their conversation, Edward suddenly appeared. He looked blank, expressionless. "We're having a family meeting inside." He said to them stiffly.

"Edward…" Jasper said brokenly. The two shared a look.

"I know, Jasper. I know." He said, a little less stiffly, and continued back to the house.

Jasper sighed and Danielle kissed his cheek. "It'll be fine. Let's go inside."

Jasper let Danielle lead him in and as soon as they reached the living room, they met the grave faces of their family. Jasper quickly took a seat and pulled her onto his lap, his face in her shoulder.

Edward stood and faced everyone. "I think after tonight, we all need to make a decision about our next course of action." Jasper stiffened. "Jasper," Edward addressed him, "no one is blaming you for what happened tonight."

Jasper lifted his head and looked around to meet the supportive faces of his family.

"But it certainly has illustrated that perhaps it's time for us to move on, before anything else gets too complicated." Edward said softly. Danielle thought she saw his eyes flicker towards her for a moment.

"Move on?" Danielle asked.

"Yes, get away from Forks. People are starting to get suspicious of us anyway." Edward said.

"Edward, don't you think that's a bit rash?" Alice asked.

"No." Edward said firmly, his eyes flashing. "I'm only thinking about what's best for Bella and Danielle."

Everyone turned to look at Danielle in surprise and her eyes widened. "I'm not leaving, Jasper." She said angrily, even as Jasper's arms tightened around her and his expression looked pained.

"Danielle – " Edward started.

"_No_, Edward. Jasper is perfectly fine around me."

Carlisle stood and put a hand on Edward's shoulder. "I think we all saw how Jasper reacted to Danielle." Carlisle said. "Even if I'm alone on this thought, I think Danielle will safe with Jasper. It's obvious to me that he won't harm her."

"Carlisle…" Edward said.

"You didn't see Jasper let her go. It would have made more sense for him to attack Danielle as soon as he lost himself in his hunger but he didn't. And seeing how drastically she calmed him, I'm convinced Danielle and Jasper will be fine." Carlisle said, authority ringing in his voice.

"I am too." Emmett agreed. "I was right there. He let go of Danielle."

"I agree." Alice said.

"Fine. Then Danielle can come with us." Edward said grudgingly.

"I think Jasper and I should go alone." Danielle interrupted. Even Jasper looked at her in surprise. She blushed and looked around. "I think this is something Jasper and I need to sort out on our own."

"Where will we go?" Jasper asked.

"It doesn't matter. We can go anywhere we want." Danielle said to him.

Jasper nodded and smiled up at her. "Danielle and I will go alone."

"When will you leave?" Esme asked. She looked sad.

Danielle and Jasper shared a look. "Tonight." Jasper said. "The sooner the better. I need to get away from all of this." He admitted.

The family nodded with understanding eyes. Edward looked a bit opposed to the idea.

"Then it's settled." Carlisle said. "You two will leave tonight and the rest of us will leave within the week." Carlisle looked over at them. "You're sure?" They both nodded.

As the rest of the family dispersed, Jasper lifted her up without saying another word and carried her out of the Cullen how and towards their cottage. Once they arrived, Danielle frowned.

"How sad. We only got to spend a few hours in our new house." Danielle said as Jasper grabbed the suitcases they'd left by the front door.

"We'll come back, don't worry." Jasper said. "I just need enough time to…get my confidence back up." He said softly.

"You can take as much time as you need, Jasper. I'll be right at your side the whole time."

Jasper smiled thankfully, kissed her forehead, and then grabbed her hand before leading her back to the Cullen house. They reloaded his Mercedes before stepping back inside to see the family waiting. Emmett stepped forward and hugged her immediately while Esme pulled Jasper in to a tight hug

"Take care of him, Danielle." Emmett said as he hugged her tightly.

"I always do."

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Carlisle slip Jasper the phone he'd returned earlier that day. She turned when Alice hugged her. "This sucks." Alice complained.

"I'm sure we'll see each other soon. This isn't goodbye forever, silly." She said with a smile. Alice only nodded. Edward was brooding off in the corner and Danielle barely locked eyes with him before Esme and then Carlisle hugged her. As soon as they released her, Jasper grabbed her hand and began to lead her out, the two of them calling out their last goodbyes before they entered the Mercedes. It felt like déjà vu from their wedding, but this situation was different significantly.

"You're sure?" Jasper asked quietly, his eyes vulnerable.

"You already know the answer." She said squeezed his hand.

Jasper nodded and turned the car on before speeding away from the Cullen house.

--

**A/N: Awww…Review!**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Ok, now that I went back and read over the last chapter, that wasn't the good…and I wasn't too impressed with this one either but maybe I just have too high of expectations…tell me if it sucks! **

**Disclaimer: I own nothing related to the Twilight series!**

--

Danielle sighed as she stared out the window, her eyes taking in the grim and gray scene before her. She was alone in the bedroom of the cabin they'd been staying in, but this wasn't any new development for her. Any bit of confidence she'd given Jasper before they left the Cullen house had evaporated as his thoughts of that night haunted him until he was so unsure of himself that he hardly came near her anymore. He claimed he didn't want to take any chances and had taken to hunting every other night for at least three hours before returning to the cabin. Even when he did, he would sit perfectly still like a beautiful marble statue and stare into the fireplace.

For three long and miserable weeks they'd been going on like this. He hardly even touched her now, let alone kissed her or held her. And now that they were in some remote cabin in Vancouver, where she knew absolutely nobody, she was beginning to feel like there was no way she would kick the depression beginning to settle into her. Jasper was even worse and it didn't help anything.

Danielle pressed her cheek against the cool glass and closed her eyes. She knew Jasper was only keeping his distance because he thought it would be safer for them until he felt more confident in his resistance to human blood again, but it didn't mean it hurt her any less. She didn't dare voice her feelings to Jasper though, his plate was full enough as it was.

Her thoughts began to wander to Bella. If the Cullens had actually gone through with leaving, she couldn't imagine what Bella was going through right now. Danielle was feeling depressed, yes, but at least Jasper was still around and she still knew that he loved her. Danielle had a feeling that if Edward had broken off his relationship with Bella, he would have been forced to say whatever it took to get her to let him go. She wanted desperately to call Bella, but both she and Jasper had agreed they didn't want any distractions.

Right about now Danielle would have been overjoyed for a distraction. The deeper she let herself sink into her thoughts, the more depressed she became.

The door to the cabin opened and closed quickly, a brief rush of cold air filling the room, but Danielle didn't bother to open her eyes. She knew that Jasper wouldn't come over to her for a hug and kiss like he used to when they greeted each other, so what was the point?

Danielle heard his deep sigh from across the room then the sound of the fire logs moving as Jasper stoked the fire. She opened her eyes to watch him and felt her heart clench. It hurt loving him that desperately and not being able to express it.

"You haven't been eating." Jasper said, his voice filling the room.

Danielle swallowed the lump in her throat. "I haven't been hungry."

She watched as he turned to face her and his expression was unreadable. When he turned back to the fire she got up from the window and went to lay in the bed. Ever since they'd arrived, Jasper hadn't so much as touched the bed with his fingertip, having taken to sitting in the chair by the fireplace at night while she slept.

As she pulled the covers up over her she felt his eyes on her back, but she kept her eyes on the wall across from her.

Jasper loved her, she knew it because he still told her, but the nagging suspicion that had been lurking in the back of her thoughts these three long weeks was fighting hard to break through to her. She was fighting viciously to keep it back, refusing to believe it could be true.

She thought she heard him take a few steps towards the bed, but when she peeked over her shoulder at him he was sitting in the chair, staring blankly into the fire.

Danielle fought hard to keep her tears down and let another restless sleep come over her.

--

Danielle couldn't take it anymore. She'd known that getting her old Jasper back would be difficult but this was getting ridiculous. Another week had gone by and nothing had changed between them. Now she barely even had motivation to get out of the bed since her depression had consumed her so wholly.

"Are you hungry?" Jasper asked from the window.

"No." She said quietly.

"You haven't eaten in two days." Jasper said, a hint of anger in his voice.

"I haven't been hungry, Jasper." She said wearily.

"You hadn't eaten in two days before that meal, either." Jasper continued.

"Like I said –" Danielle started.

"You're not hungry?" Jasper interrupted as he whipped around. Danielle stared up at him. This was the most emotion he'd shown since they'd arrived.

"I can't watch you do this to yourself." Jasper said quietly.

Danielle couldn't stop the words from tumbling out of her mouth as the thought she'd tried so hard to fight back broke through. "Then why don't you leave? I know it's what you want to do."

It was only a second before Jasper had crossed the room and pulled her from the bed, his eyes searching hers desperately. "Is that what you think I want? Is that what _you_ want?" He asked. His eyes were frightened.

"No, it's not what I want!" She said angrily. "I love you! I want _you_. But I can't _have _you! I don't even know what you want anymore!"

Jasper immediately pulled her tightly against him as his arms wrapped tightly around her. She hadn't touched him in so long she'd nearly forgotten how wonderful and protected she he made her feel. Danielle couldn't control herself and she clung desperately to him. "I love you, too." Jasper said thickly. "I wouldn't even be standing here existing if it wasn't for you. You're what's keeping me going, you have to know that." Jasper said, moving his hands to rest on either side of her neck gently.

"Then why can't you treat me like you normally do?" She asked angrily, a few tears sliding down her cheek. "Do you know how painful it is not being able to be able to express my feelings for you? That I can barely even talk to you because you've been so unresponsive?" Jasper had a pained expression on his face as he wiped away her tears.

"I'm so sorry, I just – I was afraid. I didn't – I…" Jasper broke off. "I've really screwed up."

Danielle let her eyes slide closed as he hugged her tightly again.

"Please don't leave me." Jasper said very, very quietly.

"I have no plans to, Jasper." Danielle assured him, her emotions under a little better control now. "I need you, too."

"I love you. I love you with every fiber of my being." Jasper said, pulling away to look into her eyes.

"I love you, too."

Danielle nearly combusted right then and there as he pressed his lips very gently against hers. "Do you promise?" He asked.

Danielle rubbed his cheek, the nerves in her fingertips tingling with relief at being able to touch him again. "Yes, you idiot."

Jasper kissed her again but with more force as his fingers ran through her hair. "I'm sorry. It'll be better now." He kissed her again and Danielle felt the depression melting away. "It's killed me trying to keep my distance. It won't happen anymore, I swear." Jasper whispered, his eyes pleading with her.

Danielle wrapped her arms tightly around his neck and kissed him. "I believe you."

Jasper smiled softly and kissed her again. "Thank you."

"I do have one request though." Danielle said.

"Anything." He said immediately.

"I want to leave this place. I can't stand it here anymore."

Jasper smiled and nodded. "No problem."

That night Jasper had finally joined her in the bed. Danielle had been content with laying in his arms while his fingers would trail over her arms or tangle in her hair, not caring what he did as long as he kept touching her.

Once she'd woken up from her first peaceful night of sleep Jasper had been delighted to hear her stomach growling. "If it's deprived of food, it's in a bad mood." He said with a smile before dashing out of the bed to get her breakfast. Danielle had watched him go with a grin. Her Jasper was coming back to her.

Once she'd eaten, he'd hunted, and they'd both cleaned themselves up they packed their bags as quickly as possible.

"I vote we never come back to Vancouver." Danielle said as she handed him another suitcase to load into the trunk.

"Ditto." Jasper said before slamming the trunk shut. He helped her into the car before running to hit side quickly, not being able to get the car away from the cabin fast enough.

They fell right back into their routine easily, as if that horrible month in Vancouver had never taken place. Jasper was opening back up to her and Danielle couldn't have been more ecstatic. After they filled the tank of the Mercedes with gas, Jasper turned to her.

"Ok, I chose the first place and that was obviously a terrible mistake. You choose our next destination."

Danielle thought for a second then smiled. "Houston."

"Houston? Interesting." Jasper said.

"Houston holds some meaning to both of us, you know. And, well, I never told you but I have a really good friend down there that I've kind of fallen out of contact with. It'd be nice to see him and I want him to meet you."

Jasper smiled. "A good guy friend, huh?" He asked, even as he started the car and headed towards the highway.

"I've known him since pre-school. We grew up together." She said with a roll of her eyes.

"Does he know about me?" Jasper asked as he grabbed her hand.

"No. We didn't talk very much when I moved because we were so busy but then we fell out of contact completely right around the time you took over all my free time." She teased.

Jasper smiled and kissed the back of her hand. "I think I can live with Houston."

"Good. Then Houston it is."

As she expected, they reached Houston within a two-day journey, only having to stop once for gas. By some unknown power that seemed to be working in their favor, they arrived in the midst of an overcast week in Houston weather, which pleased them both. They'd decided to stay in a suburb of Houston, the one that Danielle had lived in before moving to Forks, and as soon as they stopped at the hotel and stepped out of the car, Danielle breathed the air happily. It was just after six o'clock.

"Do you smell that smog? Do you feel that humidity?" Danielle asked as Jasper walked to the trunk to unload the bags. "I never thought I'd miss it."

Jasper laughed and looked around. "I haven't been back here since I joined the Cullens. It's kind of strange, actually."

"Quick, let's get checked in so I can call Tom. He'll be ecstatic." She urged.

Once they were settled into their suite, Danielle rushed over to the phone and dialed the familiar number. Jasper couldn't help but grin at how excited she looked.

"Hello?" A male voice asked.

"Thomas Fitzpatrick! It's been too long." Danielle said happily.

"Danielle? Wow! I haven't heard from you in months…and why the hell is that, by the way?" He asked in annoyance.

"I've been busy, Tom. What are you up to?"

"I'm at my parents house right now. I don't really feel like driving back to my dorm this weekend."

"Good. I'm in town and I don't feel like driving downtown to see you."

"Shut up! You're in town? For how long?"

Danielle looked over at Jasper and smiled as she watched him unpack. "I'm not sure yet. Maybe a week, maybe two weeks, it all depends."

"Let's meet up for dinner tonight, then! I have someone I want you to meet."

"I have someone I want you to meet, too, but why don't we do something other then dinner because we just ate. How about bowling?"

"Yeah, that's fine, too. Meet you in an hour or so at Main Event?"

"Sure." She said before saying goodbye and hanging up. "They're game!" Danielle announced.

"We're not going to dinner right?" Jasper asked unsurely.

"Nope." She said, jumping from the bed and kissing his cheek.

"Good." He said before pulling her into a kiss.

Jasper actually seemed a bit nervous once they were walking up to the front doors of Main Event. He'd expressed his nervousness at meeting someone that she'd known for so long and was worried he wouldn't get the stamp of approval. Danielle had laughingly reminded him that Tom's stamp meant nothing now seeing as they were already married. If Tom didn't like Jasper, the Tom would have to get over himself.

"Tom!" Danielle said, seeing her tall, dark haired friend towering over everyone in the crowd.

"Danielle!" He cried back before scooping her up into a hug. Once he set her down Danielle motioned Jasper over to her at the same time Tom motioned a brown haired girl over.

"Danielle, this is my girlfriend, Olivia Matthews. Olivia, this is one of my oldest friends, Danielle Clark."

Danielle grinned. "It's nice to meet you, Olivia, but Tom's incorrect on one aspect. Tom, Olivia, this is my husband Jasper Hale."

"Hello." Jasper said with a smile as Tom's eyes bugged.

"_Husband_?" Danielle nodded. "You're _married_?" Tom asked in disbelief. "For how long?"

"About two months now." Jasper said, wrapping his arm around her shoulders.

"And you didn't tell me? Or even _invite _me?" Tom asked angrily.

Danielle laughed and pushed his shoulder. "Would you have been able to come all the way to Forks, Washington?"

Tom frowned. "Well, no, probably not. But still! You could have told me!"

"Sorry."

"Wait, you've only been there since January…that was kind of fast." Tom pointed out.

"We knew we were going to be together for the rest of our lives, so why wait?" Jasper said. He was staring down at her with a gentle gaze. Danielle thought she heard Olivia sigh.

Tom scoffed. "See, Danielle? I told you someone would marry you someday." Jasper looked confused. "She was single for so long she thought she would never fall in love." Tom explained.

"Thanks, Tom." Danielle said acidly. Tom laughed and Jasper leaned down to kiss her.

"Maybe you were single all that time because you knew somewhere deep down that you were waiting for me." Jasper whispered with a smile. Danielle smiled back and kissed him again.

"Ok, stop making out. Let's bowl." Tom said before leading the way inside.

Jasper and Tom got along really well and that made Danielle very happy. Tom and Olivia had both opted to miss a week of school to spend time with them and Jasper and Danielle took advantage of the overcast week to do everything from shopping to going to the museum with them. Danielle was also delighted to see that Jasper was regaining his confidence around humans throughout the week the longer they spent time with Tom and Olivia.

She'd hoped that another overcast week would be in their future, knowing that Houston weather could be faulty, but the sun shone exactly one week to the day they had arrived and she and Jasper decided it was time to leave.

"I'm sad that we had to leave Houston, but I'm pretty excited about Ireland." Danielle admitted once she could see the island out of her window on the airplane.

"Me too. It's one of the few places I've actually never been to." Jasper said with a grin.

Danielle smiled and rubbed his cheek. "I'm proud of you, Jasper."

Jasper leaned forward and kissed her. "I couldn't have done it without you."

It wasn't long before the plane landed and they were on their way towards their rented cottage. Danielle couldn't help but sigh as she took in the view of the rural countryside they were driving through. This was exactly how she'd always imagined Ireland to be, even if there wasn't any sun shining through the clouds. As soon as the cottage came into view Danielle grinned.

"Did you know I've always dreamed of doing this?"

"Doing what, my love?" Jasper asked as he looked over at her.

"Staying in a cottage in the countryside of Ireland with the man I love." Danielle said. She was practically swooning.

Jasper simply grinned and kissed her hand. "You mean vampire you love?"

"Yep."

He stopped the car a few minutes later and Danielle was taken by surprise when Jasper threw her effortlessly over his shoulder as soon as he helped her out of her seat. "Jasper! What are you doing?" She asked with a laugh. He didn't answer her as he popped the trunk and grabbed the bags before somehow managing to slam it closed and walk towards the cottage. Once they were in, he kicked the door shut and left the bags at the front door carelessly before putting her back on the feet.

"Ok, caveman, what's gotten into you?" Danielle asked.

There was no question of his intentions when his lips met hers a second later. Danielle's knees literally gave out and Jasper's hands shot out to grab her around the waist and keep her upright as his lips moved unyieldingly against hers.

"I have a lot to make up for and I've missed this more then you could possibly know." He said huskily before attacking her lips again. Danielle moaned against his lips and locked her arms around his neck as he lifted her into the air and walked towards the bedroom.

"I love you, Jazz." She said when his lips left hers for a brief second as he set her on the bed. He weight was settling over her a moment later and she sighed in contentment.

"I love you, too." He said before his lips were back over hers.

--

Danielle smiled as Jasper pressed kisses all over her shoulders. Things were definitely back to normal. It had taken nearly a month and a half, but she now completely had her Jasper back. At some point the sun had broken through the clouds and she couldn't help but see it as a good sign.

"What are you so happy about, Mrs. Hale?" Jasper asked. She could hear the smile in his voice.

"I finally completely have you back." Danielle said turning over to face him. Jasper smiled and kissed her lovingly before trailing his lips to her neck. He paused there and let his nose glide over her throat. "I never completely left." He assured her before kissing her throat.

"I vote we stay in Ireland until we're ready to go back." She said sleepily. "I love this place already. I feel like we've found our second haven."

"I second that." Jasper said, his arms pulling her as close to him as he could.

"But I love you more." Danielle assured as she began to drift asleep.

"I know, darlin'. And I love you, too." Jasper said, brushing his lips across hers as she drifted off to sleep.

--

**A/N: Sorry if it sucked. It's going to get better after this, I promise! Review, though I'll understand if you don't, haha.**


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: I'd like to definitely say thank you to Aria, billbeckettsgirl, and Soccer-bitch (felt weird typing that one) for the words of encouragement! You three are definitely amongst my favorite reviewers! **

**And everyone rejoice! I just bought my brand spanking new laptop so I can now write whenever I want without any interruption. I'm very excited! Enjoy the next chapter!**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing Twilight related!**

--

"Wake up, darlin'." Danielle heard in her ear as the haze of sleep began to clear from her mind.

"What's wrong?" She asked sleepily, her eyes opening to look up at Jasper. He was smiling down at her while his fingertips brushed along her neck.

"Nothing is wrong, I'm just going hunting and wanted to say goodbye."

Danielle nodded and smiled as his lips pressed a few kisses to her neck and shoulder. "Ok. Have fun."

"I always do. And if you decide to wander from the cottage, don't go far, ok?" Jasper asked.

Danielle of course knew that he was referring to the day that she hadn't been able to resist the lush green landscapes and allowed herself a small hiking trip through the nearby field. She'd come across a cleared off spot, almost a perfect circle, within the tall grasses of the field and couldn't resist stopping to lie down in the clearing and soak in the Irish atmosphere. She'd been there so long she'd accidently fallen asleep and had only woken up when a relieved Jasper was lying down next to her and pulling her into his arms, chastising her for making him worry. Even though he didn't like for her to wander, it had become their spot.

"I won't." She assured him.

"Promise?"

"Mmhmph." She said, still not fully awake.

Jasper laughed and kissed her once more before she felt his weight shift off the bed and the door open and close a second later. Instantly, Danielle moved over to his side of the bed and snuggled deeper into the sheets that were cool from his body. They smelled like him and it made her smile softly.

She and Jasper had been in Ireland for nearly two months now. Danielle, being nearly full blooded Irish thanks to her father's gene pool, felt a connection with the land and had instantly fallen in love with it. Jasper loved it because she loved it. That and because the cottage they'd been staying in was isolated from any civilization for miles around and he was free to be himself. Neither one had felt any need to leave any time soon.

Danielle's eyes popped open when the ringing of a cell phone filled the air. She and Jasper had kept the phone that Carlisle had sent them with turned off since they'd left Forks. Even though Jasper was back to his old self again, he'd informed her that he still wasn't ready to share her yet and they'd agreed that it wouldn't hurt to keep it off for a little while longer.

Danielle quickly picked up the phone off of Jasper's night stand and flipped it open.

"Hello?"

"Danielle! How are you?" Alice asked in excitement. "It's been so long!"

"I'm good. How about you?" She asked, a smile gracing a face at hearing her favorite sister-in-law's voice for the first time in months.

"I'm alright. I've been keeping pretty busy researching for the past few months." Alice said.

"Researching? Researching what? And where are you?"

"I'm in Ithaca with Carlisle and Esme. I've been researching everything that Bella told me James had said." Alice revealed. That made sense to Danielle. When James had told her and Bella about Alice's past, Bella had told the vampire immediately because Alice had no idea where she'd come from. "I've actually learned quite a bit. My name was Mary Alice Brandon and I had a younger sister named Cynthia. Apparently my niece, her daughter, is still alive in Biloxi."

"Wow." Danielle said.

"Where are you and Jasper?" Alice asked. "He called Carlisle this morning to make sure everyone was doing well but wouldn't say where you two had run off to. I think he was afraid that we would come and ruin your second honeymoon." She finished with a laugh.

Danielle smiled and laughed with her. "We're in Ireland now and we've been here for a few months. We were in Vancouver for month and that was…terrible." Danielle said with a sigh.

"Really?"

"Yeah. He was so torn up about everything that we didn't hardly ever speak or touch. It was pretty hard on us and we both became pretty depressed. Things didn't change until I was so bad I was hardly eating anymore and Jasper flipped. That kind of made all the things we'd both been feeling come out."

"That's awful!" Alice said.

"I know, but we got past it." Danielle reassured her. "We spent a week in Houston after that and now we're here. Things are completely back to normal now." Then Danielle frowned. "Why are you only with Carlisle and Esme? Where are the others?"

"Oh, Emmett and Rosalie are actually in Europe, too. They're taking another honeymoon but they should be returning any day now. And Edward…well…he's gone off by himself."

"Where is he?" Danielle asked.

"The last we heard from him he was somewhere near Houston. He's been tracking Victoria."

"Victoria? All the way to Houston?" She paused. "But Jasper and I were in Houston. What if she's been following us?"

"I don't think she has. I would have seen it." Alice assured. "Which reminds me…I did see you and Jasper meeting another vampire soon."

Danielle stiffened. "Is the vampire dangerous?"

"I don't know yet, but I don't think so."

Danielle sighed. "Ok."

"Will you and Jasper rejoin us, soon? I miss you terribly."

"Perhaps. I'll run it by him."

"Ok. I'll talk to you later then?"

"Sure. Bye, Alice."

"Bye, Danielle."

When Danielle hung up the phone, she felt uneasy. What if Victoria _was _tracking her and Jasper? After all, she might still be angry that he and Edward had killed her mate. She didn't think it would be very wise to chalk something like Victoria happening to go to the city she and Jasper had stayed in to coincidence, not with the history they had with her. And they were going to meet a new vampire? As far as she knew, there were not many covens like the Cullens, so what if this new vampire tried to attack?

Despite her uneasiness though, hearing Alice's voice again had made Danielle realize just how much she had missed her new family. Danielle threw the covers off of her, now wide awake, and got up from the bed, throwing on a wifebeater and a pair of pajama pants and going to the kitchen to find some food.

Walking into the living room of the cottage instantly made her feel happy. Christmas was only a day away and Jasper had let her deck out the entire cottage in Christmas decorations. She'd had to go into town for it and a few people had been surprised by her accent and the fact that she hadn't been seen before, but she ignored them and did her shopping. There was hardly a flat surface in the house that didn't have some sort of decoration on it. She'd even gone as far to hang mistletoe and two wonderfully decorated stocking over the fireplace.

Jasper, of course, had helped her out, baffled by how overjoyed she was about the holiday. Apparently, the Cullens weren't as big on it as she thought they would have been. She'd at least thought Alice would get worked up over it. He'd laughed almost endlessly when he'd magically produced a Christmas tree 

and Danielle had jumped around the cottage in excitement before announcing they had to go buy ornaments immediately.

After she finished her breakfast she took a quick shower and decided to go for a little walk. She smiled as soon as she stepped outside. The sun was shining brightly today despite the chill of winter. Without really being conscious of where her feet were leading her, she soon was in the middle of her and Jasper's clearing.

The grass was cold against her skin and the wind should have been freezing her to death, but she found herself so comforted by cold things these days that she didn't mind one bit. The cold always reminded her of Jasper, and Jasper made her happy.

"You're going to get sick, you know."

Danielle grinned as she felt Jasper lay down next to her, his hand grabbing hers. "Right on time."

Jasper smile and leaned down to kiss her. "At least you dressed appropriately."

"According to rumor hypothermia isn't very fun so I thought I'd play it safe." Danielle said, making Jasper chuckle. "I heard that you called Carlisle."

"Oh, yeah?" Jasper asked.

"Yeah. Alice called shortly after you left and we caught up."

"I was just calling to check in and make sure everyone was ok." Jasper said. "They miss us."

"I know. I miss them."

Jasper leaned up on an elbow and looked down at her. "Do you want to go to Ithaca and stay with them?"

Danielle reached up and rubbed his cheek. "A part of me does, the other part wants to stay here with just you forever."

Jasper smiled and kissed her. "I know what you mean." He kissed her again then pulled away with a grin. "Your nose is as cold as mine is. Let's go back to the cottage."

Jasper hoisted her up then grabbed her hand as they headed back to the cottage. "So Ithaca?"

"Yeah, I think so. But not till after Christmas."

Danielle suddenly froze as she got the distinct feeling she was being watched. Jasper frowned down at her in confusion then his eyes became alert. She looked up at him in worry. "Is it a human?" Danielle didn't want him to be exposed.

"No." He said dangerously, his arm slipping around her shoulder protectively. "Did Alice say anything about our future?'

"Yes, actually. She said we'd be meeting another vampire." Jasper hissed and his eyes darted all around. "She said the vampire wasn't dangerous though."

Jasper still quickened his pace and hurried her into the cottage. "I'm not taking any chances."

Danielle wrapped her arms around him and kissed his neck. "It'll be fine, Jasper."

He didn't look convinced.

Jasper dashed into the other room just as she barely registered the first ring of the cell phone. They'd only had it on for one day and already it was getting blown up with calls!

She watched as he came back into the room, talking quickly enough to where she couldn't quite make out what he was saying. When he snapped the phone shut he looked more relaxed.

"Was that Alice?"

"No, it was Emmett. Apparently they are in Great Britain and heard we were nearby so they're going to drop in tomorrow and stay for Christmas."

"See! Even if that nasty old vampire _does _show up, Emmett and Rosalie will be here to protect me, too. It's all dandy, now, right?"

"I suppose. Except for my whole selfishness problem." Jasper said as he pulled her into his arms.

"You'll live." She said. Then she jumped. "We have to go wrap those presents we got them in Rio then!" She'd almost forgotten she still had them since it'd been so long since they'd gotten back from their first honeymoon and they'd never gotten the chance to hand out their gifts.

"Do I have to help?" He asked with a pout.

"Well, no, I suppose. But, if you don't, I won't give you your present from me."

"Oh, fine." He said before throwing her over his shoulder and walking to the bedroom.

--

"Emmett!' Danielle cried as soon as she threw the door open.

"Red!" He exclaimed and scooped her up into a huge bear hug.

"I'm so glad to see you! I've missed you, you big oaf!" She said happily.

"I've missed you, too. Maybe if my brother wasn't so _selfish _I'd get to see you more." Emmett said shooting a pointed look at Jasper. Jasper only rolled his eyes from his spot next to Rosalie.

Emmett didn't release her for a few minutes but when he did she smiled over at Rosalie. "Hi, Rosalie."

"Hello, Danielle." She said with a smile.

They all quickly situated themselves around the fireplace and brought each other up to date on what they'd been doing. Everyone made sure to avoid the topic of Bella and Danielle figured it was because each one of them felt guilty about leaving her behind.

Once the conversation had lapsed a bit and all the present had been exchanged, Danielle being caught off guard when Rosalie handed her a small, wrapped box, their two guests turned to Jasper.

"It's been a little bit since we hunted, is there any good game around here?" Emmett asked.

"There's some decent game a few miles up north. It should be enough to hold you over until we go back to Ithaca." Emmett and Rosalie had told them they'd be heading back in a few days and when they had, Jasper and Danielle had shared an agreeing look.

"Oh, you'll be joining us, then?" Rosalie asked.

"Yes. We miss the family." Jasper said.

"Excellent. We'll be back in a few hours."

Once they were gone Jasper smiled over at her with a glint in his eye. "What?" Danielle asked warily.

"I have a present for you, too."

"Oh, well then let me go get yours!" She said.

Once she returned she handed him a box and when he opened it he grinned. It was a large book that had all kinds of facts about the Civil War. She'd picked it up in Houston on a shopping trip with Olivia and had nearly jumped out of her skin when she flipped to a random page and saw a much different looking, but still _very _handsome, Jasper Whitlock staring up at her. He was listed as the youngest major in Texas with a question mark next to the dash separating it from his birth date, which she noticed wasn't correct. There was a brief paragraph about him and at the end it said he'd gone missing in action in 1864.

"Look at this." She said with a smile as she flipped to the page number she'd memorized. Jasper's eyes widened.

"Wow. I'm in a book." He said to himself.

"Yeah. I just happened to pick it up in Houston. Imagine my surprise when I saw this page." Danielle kissed his cheek. "You haven't aged a day!" She joked.

Jasper laughed and turned to kiss her. "Thank you. I love it."

"Good. Now give me mine!" Danielle said holding out her hand. She blinked in confusion when he handed her the familiar key to the cottage. "I'm confused." She said simply.

"We've enjoyed this place so much that I finally just bought it. So now we can come back whenever we want and this place will be waiting." Jasper said with a huge grin.

Danielle smiled and hugged him tightly. "Jasper! Thank you!" She said ecstatically. "You couldn't have given me a better present, well…other than the one you've already given me."

"What, the credit card?" He asked with a teasing smile.

"No, silly. You." She said before kissing him. When she pulled away she stood. "Let's go to our meadow."

Jasper was practically glowing. He was obviously happy Danielle had liked his present to her and he grinned widely as he stood and took her hand. Then stopped short when he opened the door. At some point it had started snowing and everything was covered. Danielle ran out and sloshed around in it before leaning down to make a snow ball, quirking an eyebrow at Jasper.

"Don't even think about it." Jasper warned.

Danielle just grinned and chucked it at him, knowing full well he could have dodged it if he wanted to. She laughed as it hit him square in the middle of his chest. Then she had to run as he began making and throwing snow balls rapidly, screaming as she did. She was dodging in and out of the scarce trees, throwing a pitiful snowball at him every once in a while.

"You can hide…but you won't be able to run away from me!" Jasper said, reversing the threat. Truth be told, she couldn't really hide either. He'd find her in a second.

She laughed and started running again, feeling a few snow balls hit her before Jasper was running at human pace towards her.

Then she froze as she turned and saw someone watching them. He was tall with pitch black hair and shocking red eyes. When she made eye contact, one corner of his mouth twitched up.

"Well, hello." He said, his Irish-accented voice sounding like a hiss.

Jasper was in front of her in a second and Danielle didn't really care where he came from. If this was the vampire Alice was referring to, Danielle wondered how she could not see that he was clearly dangerous. His nostrils were flared and she could see that he was trying to keep himself from lunging, now that Jasper had arrived.

"Ah, yes, Jasper right? And Danielle?" He hissed. "My name is Dominic."

"I'll ask you kindly to get off my land." Jasper said firmly, tensed in a defensive crouch, not paying a mind to what Dominic had said.

"I've been watching you two. You American vampires are very interesting." Dominic continued. "I was hoping you'd share your meal. Humans are very scarce in this particular area." The vampire said. "I can see it was a fool's hope. So greedy."

Jasper snarled and Danielle moved closer to him. "And I'll ask you_ kindly_ not to speak about my wife." He spat acidly. Danielle didn't miss the surprise in Dominic's eyes.

"Wife? And I thought it was just odd that you played with your food before you ate it...you marry it as well?"

Jasper let out ferocious snarl, while Dominic laughed. Danielle felt relief fill her more when Emmett and Rosalie suddenly came into view. They needed only to assess the situation for a second before they took their place next to Jasper, both looking defensive in an instant.

"I suggest you move along." Emmett growled. Dominic finally looked a little wary as he took in the size of Emmett, but he moved into a crouch anyway. His eyes moved to Rosalie as he growled but he stopped when Emmett let loose a vicious snarl in warning. Danielle had never seen Emmett so protective.

After one last look at Danielle, Dominic disappeared with a hiss. None of the vampires in front of her relaxed until they were sure he was gone.

"And Alice said he wasn't dangerous…" Jasper muttered.

"We picked up on his scent and thought we should come back and make sure that everything was ok." Emmett said, his eyes still in the direction Dominic had left.

"We're leaving first thing tomorrow." Danielle said suddenly. She was angry that this rogue vampire was running them out of their house, but she had a feeling he would be back and didn't want to be around when did.

Jasper nodded his agreement and the three of them quickly headed back into the cottage.

--

Alice had greeted them at the airport the next day enthusiastically, hugging them all tightly. All the way to the car and then all during the drive Alice chatted a mile a minute, making the other occupants laugh at her enthusiasm despite their uneasiness over their encounter yesterday.

Finally, Jasper interrupted. "So we met our little friend yesterday."

"Did you?" Alice asked in interest. "Who was it? They were always hidden; I could never really see anything distinguishing about them." Well, that explained it.

"His name was Dominic. He was definitely dangerous and definitely wanted to eat Danielle." Jasper said with a hint of anger. Alice knew it wasn't directed at her.

"What happened?"

"Emmett and Rose were out hunting so Danielle and I were having a little snow ball fight outside. He just suddenly appeared and I jumped in front of her because I could tell he was about to attack. He said he'd 

been watching us and hoping I'd share my meal. Then Emmett and Rose came back and he took off." Jasper summarized.

"Will he be a problem?" Emmett asked.

Alice thought hard for a second then frowned. "I'm not sure, yet. He may still be deciding."

Jasper cursed. Danielle squeezed his hand. "Where are we going?" She asked Alice, changing the subject.

Alice grinned. "We've been staying near this old seventeenth century house that Esme has been restoring. It's really beautiful and not far from Cornell."

Danielle nodded and fell silent as Rosalie and Alice began talking. Emmett would throw in a comment here or there but Jasper didn't seem happy at all.

"I'm sure he won't follow us. He saw you and Emmett, I'm sure he has his tail tucked between his legs right now." Danielle assured him quietly as she twisted a few locks of his hair between her fingers.

"I hope so." He said, kissing her hand.

Danielle didn't miss the unsure look in Alice's eyes as she overheard their conversation.

--

**A/N: Conflict! Conflict! Haha, it took me a bit to write this chapter because I was listening to The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers soundtrack while writing and I kept getting distracted! **

**Review!**


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: I love my laptop! And new readers! I hope you guys are enjoying it! The story is getting good now! **

**Disclaimer: I own nothing Twilight related!**

--

Jasper certainly hadn't been lying when he'd told her about the lack of free time they'd get whenever they were back with the family. She began to wonder if they'd gone easy on her when she'd spent so much time in the house leading up to the wedding, so as not to scare her off, but now that she was officially in the family there was always someone around her wanting to find something to do.

That was another thing about the Cullens she'd come to notice. They would get bored…a lot. Even Rosalie was coming to her to try to find something to occupy her moments of boredom. Whenever they were all home together there was _always _something going on, whether it be a wrestling match, a make-over, or another game of vampire baseball. It was also a common occurrence for Emmett to use Danielle as a prop for weight lifting, much like he had that first baseball game. For some reason, it he found it highly amusing.

Jasper had taken to studying at Cornell while they were there, which was where Carlisle was teaching at night, while Alice was still researching anthything she could find about her past. Emmett had finally caved and joined Jasper's philosophy class upon his brother insistence so that left Rosalie and Danielle to help Esme with fixing up the house because neither of them felt the desire to return to school.

Danielle and Rosalie had finally reached an understanding after having to work together in close proximity for their first week in Ithaca. They'd sat down and had a long conversation to settle out their differences after Danielle had become so annoyed that Rosalie was the only member of the family who didn't like her that she finally just came out and asked the blonde beauty why.

"It's because I can't see why you'd choose this life when you can remain human." She'd said. "I would give anything to be human." She'd gone on to confess.

"Even Emmett?" Danielle had shot back. Rosalie hadn't said anything back to that. "Because I would have to eventually give up Jasper if I didn't choose this life. Would I remain human if I could live forever? Yes, absolutely, because then I could stay with Jasper forever. He's the reason why I want to be turned."

Rosalie had then nodded. "I understand now." She's said with a smile. "And as much as I hate to admit I'm wrong, if I'd been in your place with Emmett…I would have chosen this life, too." She'd very quietly admitted. Danielle had laughed a bit because she looked absolutely anguished to admit that. Jasper and Emmett had of course been thrilled that Rosalie and Danielle were getting along and had started trying to plan trips for them to take as a double-date sort of thing in the future.

"Ok, now trust me on this one. You're going to love these movies." Danielle promised as she popped in disc one of the Fellowship of the Ring extended edition one quiet Friday while the guys were out on a day long hunting trip as a male-bonding type day.

Alice, Esme, and Rosalie were already seated and Danielle quickly threw herself onto the sofa as the movie started. "This movie is about…what again?' Rosalie asked unsurely.

"A ring of power, some really cool short people, a really good looking elf, lots of fighting…that kind of stuff." Danielle said. Alice actually looked a bit excited. "That's just in a nutshell, a very _small _nutshell, but a nutshell none the less." Esme shushed her after that.

When the guys returned that night they were nearly finished with the third movie, having just reached the part where Samwise Gamgee and Frodo Baggins were taking refuge on a lone rock surrounded by scorching lava from an exploding Mount Doom and saying their last tearful goodbyes. By that point even Rosalie was looking on with a torrent of emotions on her face.

"Oh, no. I've seen that look before." She distantly heard Jasper say.

"What's going on? Why do our ladies look all…mushy and emotionally wrecked?" Emmett asked.

All four of the Cullen women shushed them and the guys made faces before taking seats to watch the ending with them. "This is so sad." Alice whispered.

"They're going to die after all of that?" Esme asked, her voice sounding a little strained. Danielle could barely contain her smile as she mentally celebrated at converting more individuals into the Lord of the Rings fandom. She knew very well that once you cared about the characters, it was all downhill from there.

The guys rolled their eyes when a huge sigh of relief was heard as Frodo and Sam were rescued and Emmett made gagging noises when Alice and Danielle swooned over Legolas, Jasper looking a bit sour. Esme and Rosalie had made it clear early on in their marathon that they preferred the men they already had.

"He's just so pretty. Look at that _hair._" Alice said. When Aragorn and Arwen reunited in one of the final scenes Danielle turned her eyes to Jasper. He was her immortal while she was his mortal. And just like them, they were making it work. Jasper smiled and kissed her hand. Perhaps he was thinking the same thing. Only they both knew eventually she would be an immortal as well.

Once the rolling credits began some twenty minutes later Danielle was happy to hear the other three talking about it amongst themselves. Emmett and Carlisle exchanged unsure looks as they were commanded to watch the movies at once by Rosalie and Esme respectively, and Danielle could only laugh.

"I win again." She said. Jasper looked up from his spot on the floor and shook his head.

"Are these movies going to be playing constantly now?"

"Probably. Just wait until I bust out the soundtracks."

"Please don't." Jasper begged. "We have too many musically inclined vampires in this family that would be more then tempted to try their hand at the movie score."

Danielle just laughed and ran her fingers through his hair. She watched his eyes close and trembled a bit when her wrist got close enough for his lips to brush over it. "Let's go somewhere where we can be alone." She whispered. Jasper smiled and nodded before standing at the same time she did, grabbing her hand in his. No one bothered them as they walked out the backdoor of the house and were presented with the forest near the edge of the backyard.

"You know what I miss?" Danielle asked as they walked. Jasper looked down at her. "Bella."

Jasper sighed. "I know she was close to you."

"I feel awful. She would have really needed me in a time like this." Danielle said with a frown. Jasper released her hand to wrap it around her shoulders and kiss her temple. "But at the same time I would hope that she understands that you're my husband and therefore you're more important to me than anyone else."

"I'm sure she does."

"I want to see her, Jasper."

Immediately Jasper shook his head. "No, Danielle. None of us can. Edward would be furious."

Danielle sighed in frustration. "I don't care what Edward thinks. He's the one who's too big of a coward to be with the person he loves. Why should we all abandon her because he said so?"

Jasper stopped and pulled her close to him. "Edward is only doing what he thinks is best. The rest of us need to respect his wishes. He is family."

Danielle sighed in defeat. "Will we ever go back to Forks?"

Jasper put his arm back around her shoulder and kept walking. "It's hard to say. I don't really know, to be honest. With Carlisle teaching at Cornell and with how well we've all adjusted here, I wouldn't be surprised if we ended up staying here."

Danielle nodded. "I wish we could have lived in that house you built. It was so…us."

Jasper nodded. "Me too."

After a long walk around the woods they finally headed back to the house. Danielle couldn't help but still feel guilty over the Bella situation but Jasper sent a wave of ease over her, picking up on her feelings, and she smiled up at him gratefully before joining Alice for a game of chess, demanded that she play fairly.

--

Danielle was more than happy to see winter fade away. She was missing all the green she'd been surrounded with between Forks and Ireland and had desperately needed to see the trees and grass return to their normal colors.

"I had a vision of us going to see the Denali coven soon." Alice said as they walked around the woods behind the house. Jasper, Emmett, and Rosalie had gone hunting while Carlisle was spending the day helping Esme restore the other house. Alice and Danielle had taken the day to themselves to have a little girl time.

"Back to the cold?" Danielle complained.

Alice laughed and picked a flower out of the ground. "I would have thought you'd be used to the cold now. After all, you _do _share a bed with Jasper."

Danielle only blushed and busied herself with picking a few flowers. Then she turned to Alice. "Are you ever lonely?" She asked curiously.

Alice shrugged. "Sometimes. I see how everyone else is and wonder if I have a soul mate out there and I just haven't found him yet. Forever _is _a pretty long time to spend alone." She paused and looked over at her. "Esme worries about me sometimes. I think she's afraid there's some glitch in my system."

Danielle laughed and pushed her playfully, only succeeding in making herself stumble. "There _is_ a glitch in your system, you weirdo."

Alice made a face at her and laughed. "Well, _you _wouldn't happen to know of any eligible bachelor vampires, would you?"

"Hmm…not _vampires_…but I do know someone who's recently become single." She said wiggling her eyebrows. "He's my friend Tom from Houston. He's nice, funny, good looking, _and _just broke up with his girlfriend. One little bite and boom, you're set."

Alice scoffed. "I couldn't live with one more Houstonian in our family. I'll have you know that Jasper had his southern twang under control until you came into the picture. The drawl is killing me slowly but surely."

"You're so full of it." Danielle scoffed. Alice laughed at her.

"Really though, you should check him out. You're pretty good at this whole not eating humans thing. I wouldn't mind having Tom as my brother-in-law for all eternity. I've already known him my entire life thus far, what's a few more millennia?"

Alice just rolled her eyes and Danielle decided to change the subject.

"Do you ever feel guilty about leaving Bella?"

Alice expression told Danielle the answer before Alice's words could. "Yes, very much so. She was my friend, she was practically a sister. It didn't feel right abandoning her like that."

"Everyone agreed quickly enough." Danielle said, referring to the meeting they'd had the night of Bella's birthday.

Alice looked a bit guilty now. "Well, that was more for Jasper's benefit. We thought he'd feel even worse if he thought he was the only one leaving. We had another meeting when you two left to discuss if that was really the best way to handle things." She admitted. "You're not angry, right?"

"No, of course not." Danielle said. "He probably _would _have felt worse, then we would have been really bad off in Vancouver."

"Good." Alice said with a smile. "I'm actually a little bit worried about Bella right now, more so then usual."

"Why? Have you seen something in her future?"

"Sometimes no. And that's what really worries me. I haven't been purposely checking in on her, Edward requested that I don't, I'm just naturally in tune to her now so I see visions every once in a while…and some of those visions have ended very abruptly."

"What do you mean ended?" Danielle asked in concern.

"They just go dark. I can't see anything. Ever since we left her future has seemed fine, but now…something changed."

Danielle was worried now. "We should go see her, even if just for a day. We need to make sure she is ok."

"We can't." Alice sighed. "I think that would make things worse, to be honest, seeing us then having to let us go again."

Danielle sighed in frustration. "I should just go see her by myself."

Alice looked at her disbelievingly. Their walk had taken them back to the house now. "You wouldn't. You can't be away from Jasper for longer than a day."

Danielle resisted the urge to stick her tongue out then stopped when Alice froze just outside the door. "What is it?"

"Someone's been here." Alice said, her eyes alert.

"What do you mean?" Danielle asked. "Like, a human?"

"No. Another vampire. A vampire we don't know." Alice said, her eyes darting all around.

_Dominic. _The name shot through Danielle's mind instantly. "Was it Dominic?"

"I don't – I don't know." Alice said as she grabbed her wrist and pulled her away from the house.

"Well are they still here?" Danielle asked in fright as they darted back into the woods.

"I don't think so." Alice said. "But we're not going in there until we have everyone gathered." They broke through the other side of the woods and headed straight down the road until the house was in view. Alice was practically dragging her down the length of the road until they burst into the door.

"Carlisle! Esme!"

At once they appeared, their faces worried. "What's wrong? Have you seen something?"

"No, smelled something. There was a vampire in our house while everyone was gone." Alice explained. Carlisle and Esme shared a worried look. "Were you expecting anybody?"

"No." Carlisle said. "Could it have been Dominic?" Jasper had updated Carlisle on the encounter with Dominic as soon as they'd arrive at the house in Ithaca.

"I'm really not sure. We'd need Jasper, Emmett, or Rosalie to confirm if it was him or not." Alice said. "But it can't be. I haven't seen him coming after Danielle."

"But have you been looking for an attack?" Carlisle asked.

"Perhaps not as avidly as I should have been." Alice said apologetically.

"It's fine. Even if it is him he won't be able to get to me with everyone around, right?" Danielle said.

Carlisle smiled reassuringly. "You're right, Danielle." He turned to Esme then. "I think we should call it a day here."

Esme nodded her agreement and the four got into Carlisle's car before heading back to their house. As soon as they stepped out Carlisle's eyebrows came together. "Yes, someone has definitely been here." He pulled a silver phone out of his pocket and dialed a number rapidly. He was talking so quickly Danielle didn't understand anything he said. Carlisle then pulled the phone away to press the end button before dialing another number lightening fast, again his conversation too quick to know what was going on.

"It's not Victoria." Carlisle confirmed once he ended his second conversation. Danielle's eyes widened. She hadn't even considered Victoria. "I'd wondered if maybe she'd somehow tracked Danielle and Jasper here, but Edward says she's run all the way to Brazil."

"I didn't think it was Victoria either." Esme said, her eyes darting around.

They followed Carlisle into the house cautiously, Danielle squished between Carlisle and Esme with Alice trailing, and she looked around nervously.

"Whoever it was isn't here anymore." Carlisle announced. "I am going to take a quick look around though. Don't leave the living room." He commanded before disappearing. He returned a moment later and nodded. "They're gone. Whoever it was went straight to you and Jasper's room though."

Danielle felt fear flood her and jumped a mile in the air when the door burst open and Jasper ran through, Emmett and Rosalie trailing him. Jasper was immediately pulling her up into his arms. "You're ok, right?" She nodded and watched as Jasper's eyes flashed dangerously when he finally took the time to smell the scent in the house.

"Dominic." Emmett said angrily.

"You're sure?" Carlisle asked.

"I'd recognize his scent anywhere." Jasper growled, his arms tightening.

"Then he's still nearby." Carlisle said as he paced.

"I know what you're thinking, Carlisle, and I'm with you." Emmett said, flexing his muscles.

Carlisle looked at Jasper and Emmett followed his gaze. Jasper looked at both of them then shook his head. "No. I'm not leaving Danielle here. I'm not going to let this be Phoenix all over again."

"It won't be." Alice said. "We're here with her this time." She said motioning to herself, Esme, and Rosalie. "We're more than capable of protecting her."

"We're wasting time." Emmett said. "Come on, Jasper. He wanted to have Danielle for dinner. Let's get him and end this problem now." Danielle had a sneaking suspicion he was still miffed over the fact that Dominic had threatened Rosalie on top of being angry at his wanting to eat Danielle.

Jasper looked down at her and she nodded. "Go get him, Jasper."

He sighed. "Fine. Let's get the bastard and get it over with." Jasper said, surprising everyone with his language. While Carlisle and Emmett made the plans with the other three, Jasper turned back to Danielle and pulled her into a hard kiss. Danielle sighed against his lips and rubbed his back soothingly.

"I won't be gone long." He promised when he pulled away, both of them breathing a little heavier.

She nodded then watched helplessly as Jasper, Emmett, and Carlisle disappeared out the door.

--

"They've been gone for hours." Danielle complained as she paced the living room. "When are they coming back?"

"Either after they kill Dominic or they decide he's gotten away."

Danielle let out a frustrated growl and threw herself onto the sofa. "One of you just bite me and get it over with. Then maybe all this stupid non-sense of vampires determined to kill me will stop."

Esme looked at her sympathetically while Alice rolled her eyes. Rosalie was staring out the window, her eyes alert.

"Yeah, right, because my plan along was to have Jasper rip me to shreds when he finds out I bit his wife before he could." She said, her voice dripping with sarcasm.

"Well, _you _think of a better solution then!" Danielle said irritably. "Because my mortality keeps messing with my happiness and I'm getting tired of it."

"Girls." Esme said softly before Alice could retort. "Danielle, it's not your mortality, and you know it. Some vampires are just relentless." She said with sympathy lacing her voice. How could Danielle argue against that?

Rosalie gasped and everyone froze. "They're back."

Danielle jumped up just as the door flew open.

"I thought you said he wasn't that old?" Emmett asked Jasper in confusion.

"He isn't, I'd say five or six years, maximum." Jasper explained, clearly disconcerted with this knowledge.

"Well he sure was pretty good at throwing us off the trail." Emmett complained.

"Carlisle?" Esme asked.

"Dominic got away. He must have laid out a false trail earlier today knowing that we'd be aware of his visit." Carlisle explained. "That's a pretty intelligent thing for a relatively new vampire to do."

Jasper had worked his way back to her side and grabbed her hand. "We should leave. It's too dangerous here, now."

"You sound like Edward." Danielle said. "Why should we let him run us out of our house again?" She asked.

Carlisle sighed. "Jasper is right. This situation could easily get out of hand now that we know Dominic is here."

Danielle was thoroughly confused now and looked up at Jasper. "Is there something you haven't been telling me?" She asked harshly.

Jasper winced and looked down at her carefully. "I didn't want you to worry…"

"Jasper Whitlock Hale!" She said as she tried to drop his hand, but his grip was firm. "What did we say as soon as we decided to get married?" Danielle demanded.

"No more secrets." Jasper said with an ashamed look on his face.

"Exactly! Now tell me what you've so _rudely _been keeping from me."

Jasper sighed. "Whenever we move to a new city we keep tabs on any possible vampire activity, just so we know who is around and what to expect from them. Well, there have been some strange reported 

kidnappings over the past few weeks as well as some strange murders. At first we thought it was just a rogue vampire being careless, now we think it might be connected to Dominic."

"How?" Danielle asked unsurely.

"We think Dominic might have made a few little vampire buddies." Emmett said, his arms crossed. "Literally."

Danielle looked up at him in fright. "And they're going to come after me?"

"We don't know, but we're not taking any chances." Carlisle said. "We're leaving Ithaca. We need to go somewhere safer, more familiar." Carlisle turned to the others. "We need to leave as soon as possible." He said. Without another word the rest of the family dispersed around the house to gather their belongings.

Danielle didn't argue this time and let Jasper pull her upstairs to start packing. "I hate this. Every time we get settled somewhere we end up having to leave." Danielle said furiously as she threw a few shirts into her bag violently.

Jasper came over and put his hands on her arms as he rested his chin on her shoulder. Danielle sighed and leaned her back against his chest while his hands rubbed down her arms, his touch calming her without him even having to manipulate her feelings.

"Don't worry. We're going somewhere safe this time, somewhere that we actually know people who can help us if anything gets out of hand." Jasper said in her ear as his face buried into her hair. "I won't let anything happen to you, I promise."

Danielle turned in his arms and pulled herself up for a kiss. Jasper's hands immediately went to her hips and pulled her against him as he returned her kiss urgently. When they pulled away her breath caught in her throat because his lips trailed down to her throat. "I love you, Jasper."

Jasper lifted his head again. "I love you, too."

They kissed again until a knock sounded on their door. "Ten more minutes." Carlisle said through the door. They reluctantly pulled away, not having gotten to express their devotion to each other physically in a long time, but dutifully finished packing their clothes.

"Soon." Jasper promised, and she knew what he was talking about without having to ask. She nodded then grabbed his hand as they rushed down the stairs to meet the rest of the family.

"Let's get out of here." Emmett said, his arm around Rosalie. The rest of the family didn't need to be told twice.

--

**A/N: Wow, could you tell I was listening to the Lord of the Rings soundtrack again as I wrote this? Haha, I couldn't help but incorporate it again. I'm too obsessed with it! Review! **


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: Here's another one. It will be the last one for the night because I'm super tired now. Hope you enjoy it! You'll get more chapters tomorrow!**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing related to the Twilight series!**

--

Jasper hadn't released her hand once since they'd left the house in Ithaca, not like she would have complained anyway. After talking over everything, they'd come to the conclusion that at some point during Dominic's spying in Ireland he'd overheard that they were going to be going to Ithaca, and once he'd gotten there he must have followed their trail around town until it eventually led back to the house. They couldn't explain what had taken him so long, but they were confident that he wouldn't have been able to follow them to their new destination.

Danielle didn't even know where they were going, but as she looked out her window of the airplane she saw endless miles of white beneath her and figured it wasn't Forks. She felt disappointed because when they'd said familiar she'd hoped that meant their old home.

"Can you tell me where we are going now?" Danielle asked as she turned to Jasper.

"Denali." Jasper said. "Sorry, I couldn't tell you. We had to make sure he wouldn't know."

"It's fine, Jazz." She said before squeezing his hand. They'd definitely made sure Dominic wouldn't know. Between driving like bats out of hell for nearly an hour straight they'd arrived at a tiny, speck on the map airport that had only two planes waiting to take off. Danielle briefly wondered if Carlisle had had to bribe the pilot to fly from New York to Alaska or if it had just worked out that way.

"So we're staying with Tanya's family?"

Jasper nodded. "If Dominic by some off chance manages to find out where we've gone, we'll have even more strength in number there, not to mention more skill. We'll be safe there until we can figure out what to do about this whole thing."

Danielle nodded and felt comforted by Jasper's optimistic words. She quickly lifted the armrest in front of them and moved closer to him, letting her head rest against his hard shoulder. "What would I do without you?" She asked.

"I'm not sure, but whatever it was, you'd probably be a lot safer."

She popped her head up and glared at him and he just laughed before forcing her head back down on his shoulder. "I know, I sound like Edward." Jasper mocked. "But unlike Edward, according to you, I'm brave enough to be with the person I love." He said, his lips kissing her hair. "All the demons from hell and all the angels from heaven couldn't keep me away from you, my love." Jasper said very quietly, his voice intense.

Danielle lifted her head to look at him and saw, as she suspected, that his eyes were smoldering and she felt her nerves zing with awareness. Without thinking she leaned her head forward and pressed her lips against his hungrily. Jasper made a quiet noise in his throat but very gently pulled her away.

"Just a little while longer." He said huskily.

Danielle grinned and kissed his wrist, it was all she could reach because his hands were still holding her face away from his. "I just want a kiss, you silly vamp." She said quietly.

"Then you'd better not kiss me like _that _or I'll be forced to act inappropriately in front of all these unsuspecting passengers." Jasper warned.

"Gross. Can you two stop?" Emmett asked as he turned around in his seat, his facial expression disgusted. "I've been thankful every day that you two _haven't_ been attacking each other, let's not start now."

Danielle glared at him and Jasper smirked before moving his arm to drape over her shoulder and pull her into his side. As Emmett turned back around Jasper leaned down and whispered lowly, so lowly she almost couldn't hear him, "We'll pick a room right next to theirs and be _extra _loud tonight…we'll show him how it's done."

Danielle broke into a fit of giggles while Jasper chuckled but they both quickly tried to stop when Emmett whipped around and glared suspiciously at them. Somewhere in front of Emmett they heard Esme say, "Children" in a warning tone and the three went back to their own business until the plane landed.

It didn't take very long to get to Tanya's large house and Danielle tried to remember how they'd acted at her and Jasper's wedding. She had, after all, been a little bit distracted at the time.

"Don't worry. The Denalis are very close to us." Jasper said in her ear as he grabbed her hand. "They would no sooner harm you then Carlisle."

Danielle nodded and let him lead her in. Danielle guessed that Carlisle must have warned them of their upcoming visit because the front door opened as the approached and a graceful vampire with strawberry blonde curls swept out to greet them.

"Tanya!" Carlisle said with a pleasant face as they greeted each other. "Thank you so much for letting us stay with you. I can't possibly begin to explain how appreciative we are."

"Carlisle, you're family! My house is always open to your family." She said. Then she and Esme greeted each other warmly.

Jasper stepped forward with a smile. "Tanya." He said pleasantly. "You remember my wife, Danielle."

Tanya smiled at her and nodded. "I do. I'm glad to see you in good health, Danielle." She said pleasantly.

"Thank you." Danielle said, not really sure of how to respond to that. The vampire then greeted Rosalie and Emmet before escorting them inside where the rest of her family was waiting. Danielle greeted Kate, Elezear, and Carmen along with the others and soon went upstairs to unpack a few of her suitcases with Jasper while the rest found a room to stay in.

"Good news." Jasper said with a grin. "Emmett and Rosalie just took the room next to ours." He said cheekily. Danielle laughed as he kissed her temple then hauled the bags across the room to the dresser effortlessly. Then he looked over the bedroom set up with a frown. "We might have to move the bed to the opposite wall, though."

Danielle rolled her eyes. "You're awful. I'd really rather our family _didn't_ hear us making love, thank you." She said as she began unpacking. Jasper was behind her in an instant, his lips pressing kiss after kiss against her neck.

"You're the screamer, not me." He teased.

Danielle gasped and tried to push him away playfully as she laughed. She only threw herself into the dresser. "One, that's terrible! And two, that's a lie and you know it!"

Jasper just laughed then kissed her, his lips sending fire through her body. "You still love me." He said against her lips.

"Got me there."

They groaned in frustration when a knock sounded on the door. "Jasper? Danielle? Can you come downstairs?" Carlisle asked.

"We'll be right down." Danielle called back as Jasper pressed his lips against her throat. "Come on, let's go."

Jasper let her pull him out of the room by his hand with a sigh and followed her down the stairs. When they got there they saw Carlisle waiting with Tanya on a couch. Carlisle motioned for them to sit on the small sofa across from them and they did quickly.

"So, Carlisle says we've run into some trouble?" Tanya asked.

"Yes. How much have you told her?" Jasper asked Carlisle.

"Not much."

Jasper nodded and turned back to Tanya. "Danielle and I were in Ireland for a few months and towards the end of our stay we encountered another vampire who introduced himself as Dominic. He'd made his intention known right from the start – he wanted to have Danielle for a meal." Jasper said, his eyes flashing at the memory. "He had been about to lunge at her before I got there then he held himself back. He didn't leave until Emmett and Rosalie, who'd arrived earlier that day, came to our aide."

"And then he followed you back state side?" Tanya asked.

"Yes. He'd said he'd been watching us so we can only assume he overheard us talking about going to Ithaca."

Tanya nodded. "Did he seem like a tracker?"

Jasper shook his head. "No. And he wasn't very old. I think that he was angry I stopped his attack and wants to get revenge for it."

Tanya then turned to Carlisle. "You said he was creating vampires in New York?"

Carlisle did a half shrug as he made an unsure face. "We can't really be sure about that, I'm afraid. We're still not sure when Dominic arrived, he could have very well only arrived that very day. The strange kidnappings and murders could have started happening before he came."

"That would be odd if this Dominic was the one creating vampires, if you ask me." Tanya said. "Obviously _we_ know of the fighting in the south and how newborns were made to fight battles because we've been closer to it, some of us have even fought in it." She said, glancing at Jasper. "Dominic is young and from a different part of the world. I don't see how he could have gotten the idea in his head to do that."

Danielle felt a bit relieved at these words. So maybe Dominic wasn't breeding an army against her after all, but she still hated to chalk it up to coincidence.

"Danielle, I think it's safe to assume it's just Dominic working alone and out for revenge." Tanya said with a reassuring smile. "And if he does follow you here, he will be severely outnumbered and outmatched. You have nothing to worry about."

Danielle nodded as Carlisle smiled warmly at her. "Thank you."

Tanya turned to Carlisle to talk some more and Jasper pulled on her hand as he stood. Their meeting with Tanya was obviously over.

Once they got were back upstairs Danielle turned to Jasper. "You know, I can't help but think that maybe we could avoid all of this if you just turned me." Danielle suggested.

Jasper frowned immediately. "No."

"Why not? You're going to anyway!" She said crossing her arms.

Jasper moved closer and put his hands on her waist. "Because you promised me two years. Not until you're twenty, remember?" Danielle rolled her eyes as he pressed his lips against her jaw. "It gives us two years to enjoy each other just like this."

"Because I'm going to become a rabid, blood-thirsty newborn, right?"

"Exactly." Jasper said before pressing his lips to hers.

Any argument she had died against his lips as he crushed her body against his, his lips claiming hers hungrily. They fell back against the bed, which _hadn't _moved to the opposite wall, and Danielle immediately wrapped her limbs around him tightly, her mouth searching his as fire coursed through her wildly. She twisted her fingers into his hair tightly.

"You're driving me crazy." He growled out as his lips trailed down her neck.

"That's a bad thing?" She managed to gasp out as his hands began sliding her top up, his head moving so that his lips could kiss any inch of skin revealed. Once her top was gone and his lips were back on hers he grinned.

"Never." Jasper said before another scorching kiss. "And remember…extra loud."

Danielle couldn't help but laugh. "I'm the screamer, remember?"

--

The looks of death Emmett had given them the next day had been well worth her slightly horse voice and she couldn't resist patting Emmett on his head with a laugh. He'd immediately swatted her away with a disgusted look.

"Have I mentioned I hate both of you? And so does Rosalie." Emmett said haughtily.

Jasper and Danielle only laughed and joined Alice and Kate in the living room to watch them play chess. Danielle did blush when both Kate and Alice shot them knowing looks and Jasper shrugged down at her as if to say, "Oh well".

Both looked up when Elezear walked in and sat down near them.

"Good morning." He said pleasantly.

"Good morning. How are you today Elezear?" Jasper asked as he pulled Danielle into his lap.

"Very well." His eyes turned to Danielle then back to Jasper. "I've always thought your relationship was odd, but seeing you together now, I'm quite amazed at how well you seem to work together. How do you do it?' He asked curiously.

Jasper smiled up at her and kissed her shoulder before turning back Elezear. "She's always calmed me somehow. She can keep me in check...and I've taken to hunting more often these days."

Elezear nodded with a smile. "Do you have plans to turn?" He asked Danielle.

"Yes, but not for another year or so. I promised him two years…it's only been seven months." Danielle said.

Elezear laughed softly. "Ah, yes, still a long time yet."

"A long time but that means we can enjoy being newlyweds without me wanting to ransack the whole town." Danielle joked. Elezear looked back and forth between them with a smile.

"I can see the other element that clearly makes this relationship work." He said with a knowing smile.

Danielle wasn't surprised to see Kate looking on with a smile. Danielle decided then that she liked the Denalis very much. It fell silent and Danielle's eyes landed on the television screen. "We should watch a movie." She suggested. Alice turned around and smirked.

"Are you thinking what I'm thinking?" Alice asked.

"I think so."

"I think you're crazy if you think I'm going to let you get those movies anywhere near this television." Jasper said in exasperation. Elezear looked confused and Jasper shook his head. "Don't ask. Don't get them started."

The next week went by smoothly. There had been one awkward night when Emmett and Rosalie had seemingly tried to retaliate for Jasper and Danielle's indiscretion but it only had her and Jasper laughing for a very long time at the ludicrousness of the situation. Esme had scolded both couples the next morning and reminded them that were seven other people in the house they needed to take into consideration. Danielle had never felt more like a six year old caught with her hand in the cookie jar.

At the start of their second week in Denali, Carlisle and Esme left to go on a long hunting trip together, obviously seeking some alone time, while Emmett, Jasper, and Elezear decided to go on a short hunting trip a little further north from where the Denalis resided.

"If anything happens, anything at all, call me." Jasper had reminded her that morning.

"I will. Now go." She said, kissing him quickly.

"I love you." Jasper said.

"I love you, too."

Once he'd left Danielle had occupied herself with playing board games with Alice, losing nearly all of them.

"I thought I told you to play fairly." Danielle complained as Alice counted out her fake Monopoly money with a smug face.

"I always play fairly. You're just not very good."

Danielle mocked her as she began putting up the game then set it off to the side. "Ok, now what do you want to do? Cards? Chess? Watch a movie? I think we could get by with watching a romantic comedy today and no one would complain."

Danielle turned to look at Alice and froze. Alice was staring blankly ahead, her eyes clearly seeing something much different than the room they were currently in. When she blinked and came back to the present day, her expression was horrified.

Danielle ran to her immediately. "What's wrong? What did you see?" Danielle asked.

"I – I…" Alice stammered, her body quivering.

"Alice! Listen to me! What did you see?" She asked urgently. Please don't let it be Dominic. Or Victoria.

Rosalie came running in, having heard the commotion and quickly crouched down in front of Alice right next to Danielle. "Alice?"

"I saw…Bella…" Alice said, putting a hand over her mouth. "She just…she…committed suicide."

It was like Danielle didn't remember how to breathe. She was sure her lungs couldn't anymore or that her body was rebelling against her in some way because she couldn't force the air past the now huge lump in her throat. Rosalie was sitting there stunned.

"She…jumped." Alice forced out. "She jumped off a cliff."

"Oh God." Danielle said with a hand pressed to her mouth.

"I have to go to Forks." Alice said. "I have to…I have to be there…for Charlie."

Danielle grabbed her arm and pulled herself up. "I'm going, too."

"No." Alice said. "Jasper."

"Bella just _died_. I'm going with you."

Alice finally just nodded and the two went upstairs to pack a small bag before reconvening at the front. Danielle quickly jotted down a note for Jasper explaining where she'd gone and almost cringed as she thought about how angry he would be that she'd not only gone to Forks, but because she'd left his side when Dominic was out there somewhere.

They drove quickly to the airport, neither one speaking, not even when they purchased direct flight tickets to the airport just outside of Forks or when they boarded the plane. They were both too shocked, both too overcome with grief, to hold conversation. It wasn't long before they landed and as soon as they had their bags Alice hurried her outside. Danielle would have normally rejoiced at being back in Forks, but the thought of being joyous about anything right now seemed wrong. Alice wordlessly threw her onto her back once they were out of sight and took off.

Danielle did feel surprised when they arrived at the Cullen house sometime later and was even more surprised to see the black Mercedes that she and Jasper had last left in Texas in front of it. She had no idea how it was there. Maybe one of the Cullens brought it back.

"Emmett and Rosalie brought it back before they went to Europe." Alice said with a dull voice. Danielle just nodded and threw her bags in the trunk before stepping into the car, her feeling of dread growing with each second that brought them closer to her old street.

Now she was beginning to regret coming here. Seven months ago she'd only left a note explaining to her mother that she and Jasper would be going away for a while and not to worry, they just wanted time to grow as a couple, and left it at that. She was sure Lynne would be absolutely furious with her. And would Charlie even want to see them? Would he want to see two people who had helped contribute to his daughter's suicide?

And Jasper. Danielle didn't even want to think about how angry he would be. She figured he must still be on the hunting trip or he would have called her to yell at her by now.

The car came to a stop, shaking Danielle out of her thoughts, and they both stepped out slowly. Danielle turned to look at her old house and saw that the lights were off and her mother wasn't home. She yearned to see her again.

Alice started walking to the house, Danielle following her. They were in soon enough, though Danielle didn't remember how, and sat in the darkness of the house to wait. The darkness was fine with her. It meant she wouldn't have to see her emotions reflected on Alice's beautiful face.

Bella was gone. It was their fault. None of them should have left Bella behind and she and Jasper should have returned as soon as he was back to normal. All of this could have been avoided.

It was too strange how quickly everything could change in her new life. Once again, she'd been happy and content one movement, and now she was back here to console Charlie when he arrived home, grieving over a dead daughter.

She stiffened when she heard a car pull up outside. The minutes seemed to tick by slowly, cruelly, until finally she heard the door open. Whoever had entered wasn't making any move to turn on the light and just as Danielle was beginning to get impatient, the room was filled with light. She hadn't even realized Alice had moved.

But then her eyes turned to the person in the doorway in surprise. She stood and walked over to stand next to Alice.

"Bella?" Danielle asked in shock.

--

**A/N: Yeah, we all knew Bella was alive but I figured it'd be a good ending spot. Review! **


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: Aaaand chapter! Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing related to the Twilight series.**

--

"Danielle? Alice?" Bella asked in complete shock. "Oh!" She said before he was throwing herself across the room and wrapping her arms around both of them.

"Bella?" Alice asked in confusion.

They all stood there and Danielle felt ripped apart with guilt as Bella began sobbing against them. Danielle only moved away when Alice dragged their friend to the couch and onto her lap then quickly sat next to them and rubbed Bella's back soothingly.

"I'm sorry!" Bella said through her sobbing. "I'm just…so happy…to see you!"

"It's ok, Bella. Everything's ok." Alice assured her. When Bella agreed, Alice pressed her lips firmly together and Danielle could see she was struggling with the closeness. It was one thing being around Danielle but quite another to be around Bella. "I'd forgotten how exuberant you are."

"Oh…sorry." Bella said. She then looked at Danielle. "Danielle!" And the sobbing started all over again as she moved from Alice to hug Danielle, now squeezed in between them.

"I'm here, Bella." Danielle assured her as she hugged her tightly.

"Bella, would you care to explain to me how you're alive?" Alice asked when Bella calmed down enough to hold conversation a few minutes later.

"You saw me fall." Bella said in understanding.

"No, I saw you jump." Alice corrected with narrowed eyes.

Danielle and Bella both watched Alice as she shook her head in exasperation. "I told him this would happen, but he didn't believe me. 'Bella promised'. 'Don't be looking for her future either, we've done enough damage.'" Alice said, obviously quoting Edward. "But just because I'm not looking doesn't mean I don't _see. _I wasn't keeping tabs on you, Bella, I swear. It's just that I'm attuned to you…when I saw you jumping, neither of us thought, we just got on the plane." Alice said motioned between herself and Danielle. "I saw you go into the water and I waited and waited for you to come up, but you didn't."

It was clear to Danielle that Alice was having a hard time with the fact that her vision had been contradicted. She reached over behind Bella and put a hand on Alice's shoulder, trying to calm her. "What happened?" Alice asked, a little more under control now. "And how could you do that to Charlie? Did you stop to think what this would do it him? And my brother? Do you have _any _idea what Edward –?"

"Guys, I wasn't committing suicide." Bella interrupted.

"So you're saying you didn't jump off a cliff?" Danielle asked.

"No, but…" Bella sad had a grimace on her face. "It was for recreational purposes only."

"What?" Danielle asked. "You play _soccer _for recreational purposes! You go _hiking _for recreational purposes, not jump off of cliffs!" Danielle said in anger.

"I'd seen some of Jacob's friends cliff diving and it's looked…fun. And I was bored!" Bella defended.

Danielle quirked an eyebrow. "Jumping off a cliff is fun? What about drowning, is that fun, too?"

Bella winced. "I didn't actually think about how the storm would affect the currents. Actually, I didn't think much about the water at all."Bella turned to Alice and redirected the conversation when she saw that neither of her friends was buying it. "So if you saw me, why didn't you see, Jacob?"

"Jacob Black? The boy from the bonfire?" Danielle asked.

"Yes. I probably would have drowned if he hadn't jumped in after me. Well, ok, there's no probably about it. But he did, and he pulled me out, and I guess he towed me back to shore…I was kind of out of it for that part. It couldn't have been more than a minute that I was under before he grabbed me." Her eyes were focused on Alice now. "How come you didn't see that?"

"Someone pulled you out?"

"Yes, Jacob saved me." Bella repeated.

Danielle watched curiously as a very confused and irritated Alice leaned forward and sniffed Bella's shoulder. "Don't be ridiculous." Alice muttered to herself, still smelling Bella.

"Alice?" Danielle asked at the same time Bella said, "What are you doing?"

"Who was with you out there just now? It sounded like you were arguing." Danielle's eyebrows shot up. She hadn't heard anything.

"It was Jacob Black. He's sort of my best friend, I guess. At least he was…"

Alice nodded.

"What?" Bella asked.

"I don't know." Alice said. "I don't know what it means."

"Well, I'm not dead, at least." Bella said.

"He was a fool to think you could survive alone I've never seen anyone so prone to life threatening idiocy." Alice said with a roll of her eyes.

"I survived."

"How did Jacob manage to pull you out? From what I remember he was kind of a shrimp…" Danielle asked curiously. Alice listened for Bella's answer intently.

"Jacob is…strong. A lot stronger then he used to be."Bella said. She paused for a moment then spoke again. "See, well, he's…sort of a werewolf." If Danielle hadn't been married to and living with a vampire for the past seven months, she would have scoffed at the mere thought of werewolves existing. But by now she was pretty sure anything was possible and instead her eyebrows came together in confusion. "A werewolf?"

"Yes. The Quileutes turn into wolves when there are vampires around. They know Carlisle from a long time ago." She turned to Alice. "Were you with Carlisle back then?"

Alice was gawking. "Well, I guess that explains the smell." Bella looked offended. "But does it explain what I didn't see?" Alice frowned.

"The smell?"

"You smell awful. A werewolf? Are you sure about that?"

"Very sure." Bella said with a wince. Danielle had a feeling she knew from a firsthand experience. "I guess you weren't with Carlisle the last time there were werewolves here in Forks?"

"No. I hadn't found him yet." Then everything seemed to sink in and Alice's eyes widened. "You're best friend is a _werewolf_?" Danielle tried to hide her grin as Bella nodded sheepishly. "How long has this been going on?"

"Not long." Bella said. "He's only been a werewolf for just a few weeks."

Alice looked angry now and Bella shrank back into Danielle. "A _young _werewolf? Even worse! Edward was right – you're a magnet for danger. Weren't you supposed to be staying _out _of trouble?"

"There's nothing wrong with the werewolves." Bella grumbled. Danielle decided to stay out of this conversation. It wasn't her territory.

"Until they lose their tempers!" Alice said as she shook her head. "Leave it to you, Bella. Anyone else would be better off when the vampires left town but you start hanging out with the first monsters you can find."

Danielle smothered her laughter but sobered up when Bella began speaking again.

"No, Alice, the vampires didn't really leave – not all of them, anyway. That's the whole trouble. If it weren't for the werewolves, Victoria would have gotten me by now. Well, if it weren't for Jake and his friends, Laurent would have gotten me before she could, I guess, so…"

"Victoria? Laurent?' Danielle asked at the same time Alice did.

Bella nodded. "Danger magnet, remember?"

"Tell me everything, start from the beginning." Alice demanded.

Danielle listened intently along with Alice as Bella told her everything that had happened between some strange flame she'd seen by the water, to the death of her father's friend Harry Clearwater, and all about the werewolves and their encounters with Lauren and Victoria.

"Well, fat lot of good our leaving did, huh?" Danielle asked.

"That was never the point, though, was it? It's not like you left for my benefit." Bella said.

"Well…I guess we acted impulsively today. We probably shouldn't have intruded." Alice said uncertainly.

Bella's eyes widened at Alice's words and she looked frantically between her and Danielle. "Don't go!" She said latching onto them both. "Please don't leave me!"

"We're not going to leave tonight." Danielle said and Bella sighed in relied as her now frantic breathing slowly returned to normal.

"You look like hell, Bella." Alice said as soon as she was calmer.

"I did drown today." Bella reminded her.

"No, it's not just that." Danielle said. She knew Bella had caught on to what she was getting at.

"I'm doing my best, alright?"

"What do you mean?" Danielle asked.

"It hasn't been easy. I'm working on it."

"I told him." Alice said with a frown.

"What did you two expect to find? I mean, besides me dead? Did you expect to find me skipping around and whistling show tunes? You know me better than that."

"I do, but I hoped." Alice said.

"Then I guess I don't have the corner on the idiocy market."

Danielle felt her insides lurch as the phone began to ring, afraid of who that might be. It was possible it was Jasper finally calling to scream his head off at her. He'd finally arrived back at Tanya's house and she was going to be in serious trouble. She'd tried to keep him out of her thoughts since she'd arrived, literally the only time since meeting him that she _hadn't _wanted to think about him, but now she had to start preparing herself for his wrath.

She sighed in relief when she heard Bella yell Jacob's name and tuned out the rest of the conversation to go stand and look out the window towards her old house. Her mother still hadn't come back but she 

knew it would only be a matter of time. Danielle realized only now how much she'd missed Lynne. She couldn't wait to see her.

When she turned back Bella was looking at her expectantly. "You'll stay, too?" She asked hopefully.

"Maybe not here, but I'll still be in Forks. I think I'll stay at my mother's house." Danielle said. She noticed Alice had left. "Did she go to hunt?"

Bella nodded then smiled and hugged her. Danielle returned it. "I'm pretty confused to see that you're still human, to be honest. I figured Jasper would have turned you by now." At Jasper's name, Danielle winced. "He didn't know you were coming, did he?" Bella asked.

"No. He was out hunting. He's going to be furious with me. I'm actually a bit surprised he hasn't called yet." Danielle then cocked her head to the side. "I thought I told you I'd promised Jasper two years?"

Bella shook her head. "Nope. What really confused me was Jacob said there were _two _vampires here. Maybe Jasper's scent overpowered yours."

Danielle shrugged. "That would make sense, if it did. We're hardly ever out of each other's sight."

Bella had a longing look on her face for a moment before she asked her next question. "Is Jasper alright?" She asked.

Danielle nodded. "He is now. He felt pretty terrible for a while but he got over it quickly enough."

"Is it because you came to see that he'll be mad at you?" Bella asked unsurely.

Danielle sighed. "No. you aren't the only one who has been having some issues with vampires around here." Bella looked shocked. "A vampire was going to attack me while we were in Ireland but Jasper stopped him. That same vampire followed us to Ithaca and actually broke into our house. We left after that."

"Where are did you go?" Bella asked curiously.

"Denali."

"He did didn't follow you there, too, right?"

"No, I don't think so. Jasper will still be mad though."

They both looked towards the door when they heard a car door close across the street. Immediately, Danielle's stomach flipped and she could hardly keep herself from moving towards the door. "Bella, I'm going to go see my mother now. I'll be back tomorrow, ok?"

Bella frowned but nodded. "Ok. Promise?"

"Promise." She said before hugging her friend

When she walked out the front door she could see her mother juggling a few bags and heading towards the front door. "Mom!"

Lynne whipped around in surprise and instantly dropped all of her bags. "Danielle?" Then her face broke into a smile. "Danielle! Oh, my baby!" She gushed as Danielle reached her and was immediately pulled into a hug. But when Lynne held her at arm's length she could literally see her expression faded to anger. "How could you leave like that? Just a _note_? You've been gone for _seven months_! Couldn't you have picked up a phone and called me every once in a while?" Lynne raged. "You could have been dead for all I knew!"

Danielle winced. "I'm sorry. Jasper and I wanted to be alone. Even _his _parents didn't know where we were." She said as she bent down and picked up the dropped bags. "Let's go inside, ok?"

Lynne grumbled the whole way but obliged. Danielle set the bags down on the counter then turned to face her mother, who still looked angry.

"Well?" Lynne asked.

"Well, what?"

"Where did you two go? What have you been doing? Where's Jasper now?" Lynne asked impatiently.

"We went all over the place…Vancouver, Houston, Ireland, Ithaca, and most recently Alaska. We've just…kind of been spending time together alone, really. And Jasper is, er, out doing some stuff." She'd lied about that last part. She figured her mother would get suspicious if she'd left with Jasper but turned up in Forks alone. "We're doing really good mom."

"What's he doing tonight that would keep him from seeing his mother-in-law?" Lynne asked, a little calmer now.

"He's, er, getting the house set up."

"The house set up?" Lynne paused then her eyes widened. "Are you pregnant?" She asked urgently.

"What? No! I'm not pregnant, mom. What made you think that?" Danielle asked in surprise.

"You never know!" Lynne defended. "After all, you _did _just turn up unexpectantly after being gone for seven months!" Danielle just rolled her eyes.

"Enough about me and Jasper. What have you been doing?" Danielle asked, immediately wanting to change the subject.

Lynne let it go, looking relieved at hearing Danielle wasn't pregnant, and smiled. "Same ol', same ol', really. The store is booming, they're thinking about maybe branching out to Seattle next."

"Wow, that's great, mom." Danielle said.

"Yes, it is. And, well…I've started seeing someone." Lynne said.

Danielle's jaw dropped in shock. Lynne had dated only a few guys since she and Danielle's father had split up, but she'd never been the one to date someone unless it really meant something to her. "Who?"

Lynne actually looked a little nervous. "C-Charlie…Swan."

Now she was completely gob-smacked. "You're dating Bella's dad?"

Lynne nodded. "Yes, for a few months now. He really is a decent man and he treats me really well."

"Wow. That's…wow." Danielle said. "How does Bella feel about it?"

"I don't think she really has thought about it enough to feel anything about it, to be honest." Lynne said. "She's been like a ghost up until the past few weeks." Danielle frowned and Lynne watched her for a moment. "Is that why you came back?" Lynne asked.

"Partly. I came back with Jasper and Alice…word finally got around to us that she was pretty bad."

Lynne nodded. "I see. You and Jasper will be in Forks, though right?"

"For a while." Danielle said unsurely. "Now I'm starving. What do you have to eat in this place?"

After a long meal, with lots of conversation, Danielle finally went upstairs to her old room to sleep. It was strange walking in and seeing everything exactly how she had left it. It felt like years since she'd been there.

She changed into some old clothes she'd left behind and went over to curl up under the sheets. But Danielle was beginning to worry. It was late and Jasper had said they wouldn't be hunting for that long and he still hadn't called her. Was he really that furious that he didn't want to speak to her at all? With one last sigh, she turned over and fell asleep.

--

Lynne went to work as usual the next day so Danielle spent the day with Alice and Bella just catching up on everything. It had been nice, but she hadn't been able to shake her worry at Jasper not having called her.

That night, after Charlie had returned and they'd all shared a quite meal, except Alice of course, Danielle finally turned to her sister-in-law. "Alice, has Jasper called at any point you and I were away from each other?"

Alice shook her head. "No."

Danielle frowned and stood up. "I'm going back across the street to call him. I'm worried sick. Tell Bella I'll be back later." And without another word she walked out the front door. It was too strange that Jasper hadn't called yet. She _knew _he had to have returned by now. And with everything that had happened with Dominic? Surely he would want to make sure she was ok.

Danielle froze when she opened the door and heard laughter coming from the living room. One laugh belonged to her mother, the other, without a doubt, belonged to Jasper.

So _that _was why he hadn't called. He'd decided to just come and yell at her face to face.

Cautiously she walked into the living room and saw Jasper seated across from Lynne. He looked perfectly normal until Lynne turned away and his eyes flashed at her angrily. "Honey, you're back! Jasper's finally pulled himself away from the house, but I'm sure you knew that already." Lynne said, oblivious to Jasper's anger.

"Yeah, he told me earlier." Danielle said, not moving an inch.

"What time is it?" Lynne asked when she yawned out of nowhere. Danielle had a feeling Jasper was behind her mother's sudden tiredness. "Wow! It's late! I'm going to go on up to bed now, kids. Are you staying Jasper?"

"Yes, ma'am, I am." He said politely. Lynne nodded, patted his hand, and then stood. She paused to kiss Danielle's cheek then disappeared up to her room, rambling about how tired she suddenly was. Danielle nervously turned her eyes back to Jasper.

"I can't believe you left." Jasper said, his voice controlled but his eyes dark.

"I'm sorry." Danielle said quickly.

"You're sorry?" Jasper asked. "You're _sorry_?" He was standing now and walking towards her slowly. Danielle gulped. "There's a crazed vampire on the loose trying to kill you. We've been trying to do everything we can to protect you. Then you run off, after _all _of that, without telling me, and all you can say is you're _sorry_?" Jasper demanded in a harsh whisper.

He'd never been this furious with her. Danielle had never been able to handle someone she loved being angry at her and she felt mortified when she started crying, which was her normal reaction to this kind of situation.

But that seemed to do the trick and Jasper sighed as his anger faded, coming closer and brushing her tears away. "I was worried _sick_, Danielle. Why did you run off?" Jasper asked.

"Didn't Rosalie tell you what happened?" Danielle asked.

"She wasn't there when I got back. All I had was that note telling me you'd gone to Forks with Alice."

Danielle nodded. "Alice saw a vision of Bella jumping off a cliff."

Jasper blinked in surprise as he straightened a bit. He obviously hadn't been expecting to hear that. "Bella committed suicide? But Lynne said you were just visiting her." He was obviously confused.

She quickly shook her head. "No, she didn't, but we didn't know that until we got here and she showed up at her house. We were going to come and help out Charlie…imagine our surprise."

Jasper seemed to understand her reason for leaving a bit more now. "I'm sorry I got angry, I just…I can't lose you. Anything could have happened." Jasper said quietly. Danielle sighed as he kissed her forehead.

"I know and I'm sorry, I really am. I shouldn't have left."

Jasper leaned down and kissed her quickly. "It's ok now. We can go back to Alaska first thing in the morning."

"What? No!" Danielle argued. "I want to stay here!"

Jasper frowned down at her. "Danielle, we need to be with the family right now. At least until the Dominic situation is handled."

"It's just him though. If he came here I have no doubt in my mind you'd be able to take care of him yourself." Danielle said as she pleaded with him. "I don't want to leave my mom again. She's so excited that we're back. And we could finally live in the house you built."

Jasper sighed. "I don't know if it's a good idea."

Danielle hugged him and stared up at him with pleading eyes. "Please, Jazz?"

Jasper stared down at her for a few moments before he let out a big sigh. "You had to use the eyes…" he grumbled and Danielle immediately squealed with happiness and threw her arms around his neck, pressing multiple kisses all over his face.

"You're the best. You know that, right? You're the most wonderful guy I've ever known and I love you to death." She gushed as Jasper laughed in spite of himself.

Jasper carried her upstairs after that and they both settled into her bed, Danielle smiling happily. "We've never slept in this room together." She said as she burrowed herself against his body.

"Technically, we never sleep in any room together." Jasper shot back.

"Oh, you know what I mean."

--

Jasper and Danielle had stayed in bed for most of the next day, both happy to be somewhere where no one else could bother then as they cuddled and talked. It had been the first time they'd gotten to just be lazy and stay in bed all day together since leaving Ireland.

"Let's go see Bella." Danielle finally suggested as it started getting later in the afternoon. "I'm sure she wouldn't mind seeing you." Jasper looked unsure. "We can at least deliver the good news!"

"Oh fine." Jasper said.

Bella had been extremely surprised when she and Jasper let themselves in and smiled shyly at Jasper while Alice looked equally as surprised to see her brother back in Forks.

"I think we know why he didn't call, then." Alice said.

"Wanted to yell at her in person." Jasper said as he smiled down at Danielle. Danielle smiled back until she saw Bella looking over with a sad expression and she immediately felt bad for her.

"Guess what Bella?" Danielle said as they all talked while Bella did her chores.

"What?" Bella asked.

"Jasper and I are going to stay in Forks." She said with a grin.

Alice shot a look over at Jasper who merely shrugged. Bella's face instantly lit up.

"Seriously?" She asked.

"Yep!"

Danielle laughed as Bella, Comet suds and all, threw her arms around her happily but their moment was interrupted when the doorbell rang. Neither of them missed how Alice suddenly looked a bit worried while Jasper's expression became dangerous.

"I think I have a pretty guess as to who that is, and maybe we should leave." Alice said.

"What?" Bella asked. "Who is it?"

"A werewolf." Jasper growled.

"Jacob?" Danielle asked. Alice nodded.

"Let's go." Jasper said as the doorbell rang again.

"No, I want to stay. I want to at least thank him for saving Bella's life." Danielle said. "I've met Jacob before, he's perfectly fine."

"It's really not a good idea, us being in the same room as him." Alice said. She was already heading for the door.

"We'll be fine. Jacob is pretty controlled." Bella told Jasper.

He just shook his head. "I'm not leaving my wife here alone with that mongrel, then. I'm staying if she does." Bella glowered a bit at the word 'mongrel'.

"Well, _I'm _going." Alice said before disappearing out of the bathroom. Bella turned and ran to go open the door while Danielle followed her. It took Jasper only a split second to dash downstairs and stand in front of her, his arms crossed and his expression dangerous.

"Jasper, stop." Danielle said as she put her hands on his waist and tried to peek over his shoulder.

Jasper said nothing and simply stared in the direction of the doorway as Bella opened it after one last ring of the doorbell.

--

**A/N: Uh oh! What shall happen?! Review!**


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: New chapter! Yaaay! **

**Disclaimer: I own nothing related to the Twilight series.**

--

Jasper was completely tense in front of her and any time she tried to move around him to see Jacob, he would follow her actions, never letting her get past him. Danielle sighed and gave up, straining to try to hear what was happening. She could just barely hear the conversation going on between Bella and Jacob.

"Hey." There was a pause. "She's not here. Do you need something?" Bella asked. Danielle noticed she was leaving out the part that while _Alice _had left, Jasper had taken her place.

"You're alone?" Danielle heard Jacob asked. He sounded unsure.

"No. Danielle is here with her husband." Bella said smoothly.

"Husband? Danielle is married?" Danielle was a bit surprised that Jacob remembered her. They'd only met a few times.

"Yes." Bella said shortly.

"Can I talk to you a minute?" Jacob then asked with a sigh. Danielle guessed that if Bella hadn't told Jacob that Danielle was married, then she certainly hadn't told him that she'd married Jasper Hale.

"_Of course _you can, Jacob. Come on in."

It took a minute but then Jacob, who was twice as big since the last time she's seen him, was standing frozen at the other end of the room. His eyes were locked on Jasper and she leaned out a bit further to get a better look at him. Jacob was shaking violently, his eyes darting to Bella. Jacob _did _look dangerous and Danielle was now perfectly fine with the fact that Jasper wouldn't let her move past him.

"You didn't say Danielle's husband was a _bloodsucker_." He growled. Jasper didn't say a word but stood perfectly still in front of Danielle.

"Jacob." Danielle said very softly, moving to the side just a little bit. Jasper's arm shot out in an instant to hold her back and Danielle took a moment to stare up at him. His eyes were narrowed, pitch black, and staring unblinkingly at Jacob while his jaw was clenched tightly. She knew then that if Jacob slipped up in anyway, Jasper would attack.

"It's ok, Jasper." Danielle said resting a hand on his arm. "I'm not going anywhere." She turned her eyes back to Jacob and saw he was watching them in disgust. "Jacob, I wanted to say thank you for saving Bella." Danielle said with a small smile.

Jacob finally took his eyes off of Jasper and looked at her in surprise, his trembling only a little bit less violent. "Er…you're welcome." He said unsurely. He obviously hadn't been expecting that.

"It was very brave and we're all very thankful that you were there or else she wouldn't be standing here right now." She continued. She heard Jasper scoff and Jacob's eyes immediately darted to him, the trembling kicking back up.

"I shouldn't have had to save her in the first place." He spat at Jasper as though it was his fault.

Danielle immediately wrapped both her hands around Jasper's arm when his eyes narrowed even further and she thought he saw his knees twitch like he was going to go into a crouch. She knew she'd never be able to hold him back, but her touch was enough to make him remember she was right there and regain some of his control. He looked like he wanted to say something back to Jacob but Danielle pulled herself close to him and whispered in his ear, "Don't." She had a feeling Jacob wouldn't be able to practice the same control Jasper could.

Jasper pressed his lips firmly together and simply moved her until he was completely blocking her again. The atmosphere was tense, neither Jasper nor Jacob making any moves until Bella finally sighed.

"Jake, didn't you say you needed to talk to me?"

Jacob nodded curtly and stormed into the kitchen, Bella trailing after him with a hopeless expression on her face. Even when they were out of sight Jasper didn't relax.

"Do you want to leave now, Jazz? I said what I wanted to say." Danielle said as she came around to his front and moved her hand gently against his face. He relaxed slightly but shook his head.

"I'm not leaving that animal alone with Bella when he's like that. It's not safe." Jasper said lowly, his eyes finally moving away from the door to look down at her. "You're not friends with him, right?"

"No, not really. I've only met him once or twice before."

"Good." Jasper said before grabbing her hand and walking stiffly over to the couch, dragging her behind him. Once he sat down he pulled her onto his lap and she immediately kissed his temple as she ran her fingers through his hair, trying anything she could to get him to calm down. It seemed to work because he relaxed a little into the cushions.

"I don't appreciate what he's saying." Jasper said through gritted teeth as he pulled her tighter against him.

"What is he saying?" Danielle asked curiously.

"He asked Bella how someone who seemed as intelligent as you do could do something stupid like marrying me." Jasper growled. Danielle caressed his cheek again.

"I, for one, think it was the smartest thing I've ever done."

Jasper only flashed a brief smile up at her before his expression went sour again. "That animal is truly a moron if he thinks he's better for Bella then Edward is." Jasper growled. "He's more prone to killing her because he can't control himself."

Danielle just listened as he vented under his breath. She'd had no idea that the animosity between vampires and werewolves ran so deeply. "But they know that you don't harm humans." Danielle said in confusion.

"Yes." Jasper answered, his eyes darting towards the kitchen every now and then. "They do."

"Then why is Jacob acting like that?"

"Because he's a foolish, irresponsible, and volatile _child_." Jasper growled lowly. Apparently, that had been the wrong question to ask. "And as long as he poses a threat to anyone I care about, especially you, he's my enemy."

Danielle leaned down and brushed his lips with hers, feeling him relax a bit again. "My big strong vamp." She said with a smile trying to get him to calm down. It wouldn't help if he was spitting out insults every five seconds. It didn't really work and Jasper's eyes darted towards the kitchen again when the phone rang.

Only about thirty seconds passed when Alice suddenly appeared on the staircase. Danielle's eyebrows came together in confusion. She'd been under the impression that Alice had left. Jasper saw her at the same moment and they both stood up.

"Alice?" Danielle asked. "What's wrong?"

Alice began trembling and just as Danielle made it over to her Bella came running out of the kitchen. Jacob was frozen in the doorway, trembling violently at the close proximity to two vampires, and Jasper stood rooted to the spot by the couch, his eyes trained on Jacob again.

"Bella." Alice croaked out.

"What's wrong?" Bella demanded, her hands on Alice's face.

"Edward."

Danielle watched as Bella swayed violently a moment later, Alice watching in shock. Then Jacob was rushing forward to catch Bella and quite suddenly Danielle felt her back connect with the wall as Jasper took a defense crouch in front of her, a dangerous growl emitting from his throat.

Jacob juggled Bella in his arms as he glared heatedly at Jasper, his body trembling to the point where Danielle wondered how Bella wasn't falling out of his grasp.

"Watch yourself, _bloodsucker._" Jacob growled nastily.

"Then stay away from my wife, _animal_." Jasper growled back, his arms flung out wide.

Bella moaned and lifted her head and that caught Jacob's attention. Danielle almost breathed a sigh of relief because she was sure if one more moment of the banter had been allowed there would have been a fight in Bella's living room. "Bella? Are you ok?" She called out from behind Jasper.

"What did you do to her?" Jacob asked, his eyes on Alice now.

"Bella? Bella, snap out of it. We have to hurry." She said moving a bit closer to Bella.

"Stay back." Jacob warned. Jasper growled again in warning.

"Calm down, Jacob Black." Alice ordered. "You don't want to do that so close to her."

"I don't think I'll have any problem keeping my focus." Jacob retorted. Jasper let out a humorless laugh as he finally stood out of his crouch but stayed planted in front of Danielle. Danielle put her hand on his back and looked around his shoulder, knowing he wouldn't let her move an inch.

"Alice? What happened?" Bella finally asked as she gathered her wits again.

"I don't know! What is he _thinking_?" Alice wailed. Danielle blinked in surprise. She'd never seen Alice lose her cool. In an instant she'd pulled out a familiar looking phone and dialed a number lightening fast. Jacob's eyes had turned back to Jasper and he was watching him carefully. Danielle thought she saw a bit of wariness in his gaze. She sighed when she looked up and saw him glaring furiously at Jacob still.

"Jazz, he wasn't going for me. Calm down." She said very softly. Danielle didn't miss how Jacob looked disgusted again, but didn't care as Jasper let her words sooth him and he eased up a bit more.

"Rose, I need to talk to Carlisle, _now. _Fine, as soon as he's back. No, I'll be on a plane. Look, have you heard anything from Edward?" Danielle watched as Alice's face grew into a look of horror and the phone shook in her hand. That was not a good sign.

"Why? _Why _would you do that, Rosalie?" She paused. "Well, you're wrong on both accounts, though, Rosalie, so that would be a problem, don't you think?" She asked acidly. "Yes, that's right. She's absolutely fine – I was wrong…it's a long story…But you're wrong about that part, too, that's why I'm calling…Yes, that's exactly what I saw." Alice was positively livid and Danielle looked up at Jasper to see that his attention had turned to Alice with a look of worry. Something was definitely wrong.

"It's a bit late for that, Rose. Save your remorse for someone who believes it." Then she snapped the phone shut.

"Alice." Bella said quickly. "Alice, Carlisle is back, though. He called just before…"

"How long ago?" Alice asked, her facial expression blank.

"Only half a minute before you showed up."

"What did he say?"

"I didn't talk to him." Bella said as she looked up at Jacob. Everyone then looked at him and he flinched a bit, looking around at everyone. Bella nudged him and he sighed.

"He asked for Charlie, and I told him Charlie wasn't here." He revealed, obviously not wanting to help the vampires in any way.

"Is that everything?' Alice demanded.

"Then he hung up on me." Jacob spit out.

"You told him Charlie was at the funeral." Bella reminded him. Danielle had no idea how any of this had anything to do with Edward and was beginning to get frustrated.

Alice looked a bit alarmed now. "What were his exact words?"

"He said, 'He's not here,' and when Carlisle asked where Charlie was, Jacob said, 'At the funeral.'"

Then Danielle watched in concern as Alice sank to her knees with a moan. She tried to run out from behind Jasper to get to her but Jasper grabbed her around her waist firmly and kept her against his side. She should have known he wouldn't let her get far.

"Alice?" Danielle asked.

"Tell me Alice." Bella said softly.

"That wasn't Carlisle on the phone." She said.

"Are you calling me a liar?" Jacob snarled. But Alice ignored him.

"It was Edward. He thinks you're dead."

Jasper stiffened next to her and she looked up to see that his jaw was dropped.

"Rosalie told him I killed myself, didn't she?" Bella asked.

"Yes."

"Why would she do that? She knows your visions aren't always correct." Danielle said furiously.

"We believed it, too." Alice said to her and Danielle fell silent. "In her defense, she believed it as readily as us. They rely on my sight too much for something that works so imperfectly. But for her to track him down and tell him this! Didn't she realize…or care…?" Alice said, her voice fading off.

"Where is Edward?" Jasper asked.

Alice didn't get a chance to answer Jasper's question as Bella spoke up. "And when Edward called here, he thought Jacob meant my funeral." She said.

"You're not upset." Alice whispered.

"Well, it's really rotten timing, but it will all get straightened out. The next time he calls, someone will tell him…what…really…" Bella trailed off as she really looked at Alice's expression. Danielle looked back and forth between them quickly.

"Bella, Edward won't call again. He believed her."

"Alice…" Jasper urged. "Where is Edward?" He asked, annunciating each word.

"He's going to Italy."

Danielle saw realization dawn on both Jasper and Bella's face and felt even more confused. She jumped a second later when Bella shrieked, "NO!"

Danielle watched them talk back and forth in panic and finally leaned up to Jasper. "_Please _tell me what is going on." She urged.

Jasper looked down at her, his expression a bit horrified. "An old vampire family, kind of our royalty, lives in Italy. They're called the Volturi and they are _very_ powerful. They are usually the ones responsible for keeping all the vampires in order. If a vampire gets out of hand and risks exposing us all, they come in and…resolve the problem." He said. "Edward will probably go to them and ask them to kill him since there are only so many ways we can die."

"Why?"

"Edward has always said that if Bella died then he'd go with her." Jasper said quietly.

"What if they say no?" Danielle asked impatiently.

"Then Edward will find a way to expose himself and _make _them kill him."

Danielle's jaw dropped in horror and she turned to see that Bella was gone and Alice and Jacob were arguing in the doorway.

"You might control yourself on occasion, but these leeches you're taking her to…" Jacob was saying furiously.

"Yes, you're right, dog. The Volturi are the very essence of our kind – they're the reason your hair stand on end when you smell me. They are the substance of your nightmares, the dread behind your instincts. I'm not unaware of that." Alice snapped.

"And you take her to them like a bottle of wine for a party!" He growled.

Jasper stepped forward, his expression angry now, and Danielle grabbed onto his arm to try to stop him. "No, Jasper." He stopped but his body was tense again, as he watched intently, ready to protect his sister if he had to.

"You think she'd be better off if I left her here alone, with Victoria stalking her?" Alice demanded angrily, her voice rising.

"We can handle the redhead."Jacob shot back, just as loudly.

"Then why is she still hunting?"

Jacob growled and Jasper moved another step closer, dragging Danielle with him when Bella came back in. "Stop that! Argue when we get back, let's go!" She said.

Alice instantly disappeared to go to her car and Danielle watched as Jacob pleaded with Bella before Bella hugged him then disappeared out the door. "Take care of Charlie!" She called.

Jacob watched them leave and Jasper stayed frozen as he kept his eyes trained on the werewolf. Very slowly, Jacob turned back towards them. He glared at Jasper for a long moment before his eyes went to Danielle. Jasper put an arm in front of her.

"The way Bella spoke of you, you sounded much smarter than this." Jacob said slowly, his eyes glancing towards Jasper. She noticed his hands shaking. "I'll have to tell the others."

"It was my choice, Jacob. It's none of your concern and certainly none of theirs." Danielle said, tired of him not only insulting her intelligence but her husband as well.

Jacob looked at Jasper now, his eyes furious. "You know the treaty, _leech_."

"I don't need reminding, _dog._" Jasper shot back. "Get off our land."

Jacob's eyes narrowed. "Bella wants _me _to watch after Charlie." He snarled.

Jasper moved Danielle behind his body again. "Do you really want to be the one who breaks the treaty, _mongrel_? _We _will be the ones to watch Charlie." Jasper said firmly.

Jacob scoffed and trembled violently before turning and darting out the door. Danielle watched him go and sighed in relief. "I hope we don't have many more encounters like that." She said hopefully.

Jasper was still tense. "I'll need to call the others and tell them about Edward…and this Victoria problem." He paused. "And the _dogs_."

"Jasper, what was he talking about when he mentioned the treaty? Surely he doesn't think you're going to attack anyone on La Push?" Danielle asked curiously. Jasper had never really gone into detail about the treaty and as far as she knew, it only entitled that the Cullens not attack anyone on La Push.

"It's more then just that. The treaty also forbids us from biting a human." Jasper said quietly. "Not just killing a human."

Danielle's jaw dropped. "But then how were you going to turn me?"

Jasper shook his head. "That's another reason why I needed a few years. Carlisle and I are trying to find a loophole that will let me turn you without breaking the treaty."

"Well, we could just…leave. And come back, can't we?"

He shook his head again. "If only it were that easy. The mongrels know you're from Forks. To them, even if I took you away, it would be exactly the same as if I'd dragged you the edge of the treaty line and bitten you right in front of them. They'd come after all of us." Jasper growled.

Danielle frowned and Jasper put his hands on either side of her neck, making her look up at him. "Don't worry. We'll find a way. I'm not going to let a few overzealous dogs get in the way of my eternity with you." Jasper promised.

Danielle nodded and sighed when he kissed her quickly before moving away and whipping out his cell phone to call Carlisle. Danielle looked towards the still open front door and sent out a wish of luck towards her friends, hoping beyond hope they could get to Edward in time.

--

**A/N: Yay! We like conflict here! Review, you know I love them!**


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N: Well I would like to say that I'm extremely glad that you are all enjoying reading this story as much as I'm enjoying writing it. I've never been so into a story I've written or cared about a character I've created as much as I do. I had been a bit hesitant when I started posting "When Nothing Crumbles" because I've had some bad experiences in the past but I've definitely gotten over that. Thank you so much! **

**Oh, and I have every intention of writing a Lord of the Rings series whenever I finish this series because I've had a story in my head seriously for years upon years upon years but have never gotten to type it up. Would any of you be interested in that? Don't worry, I'll only write it after I get done with this series! This one is top priority! Let me know!**

**And here's the next chapter! Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing related to the Twilight series.**

**--**

Jasper had kept true to what he told Jacob and he and Danielle had stayed posted at Lynne's house to keep watch on Charlie. It had been easy enough, especially since Charlie, who had been worried over Bella's note and distraught from Harry Clearwater's funeral, had come to Lynne for a source of comfort and hadn't left her mother's house yet.

Jasper had gotten a call from Carlisle in the middle of that next day when they were all sitting in the living room watching TV. It was obvious to Danielle that Charlie didn't like Jasper when he glared at the vampire as soon as he left the room to answer the phone. She had a feeling that she knew exactly why, too.

When Jasper had returned he'd whispered in her ear that Carlisle and the others were back at the house and they would now be taking shifts watching Charlie until Bella returned, so they could leave now. Danielle was more then happy to get Jasper away from Charlie's glaring.

"If he's trying to get my stamp of approval he's doing a terrible job of it." Danielle fumed once they were walking up to the Cullen house. They'd had to run the whole way from Lynne's house since they didn't have the Mercedes.

Jasper smile down at her and kissed her temple. "I don't really care if Charlie doesn't like me. It's not like he's your father and I was in the family before him. _He _should be sucking up to _me._"

"I know, but he's dating my mother and I don't want him trying to turn her against you, too."

"I'm pretty sure he won't be able to. Lynne loves me, even if I did steal you away from her for seven months." Jasper assured her as they entered the house. Carlisle was waiting for them, as well as Emmett and Esme. Rosalie wasn't in sight.

"Good. We have a lot to discuss." Carlisle said as he took a seat. Jasper followed his lead and pulled her down next to him on a sofa. "You say Victoria has been trying to get to Bella?" Carlisle asked Danielle.

She nodded. "Yes. Bella said the wolves were close to catching her but she kept getting away."

Carlisle frowned. "The wolves? The Quileutes?" He asked, his eyes turning to Jasper.

Jasper nodded. "I hadn't gotten around to telling you yet. The werewolves have returned on the reservation." Danielle knew he and Alice hadn't been around the first time the Quileutes had started turning into Wolves, so she guessed that Carlisle had told them about it.

"You're sure?"

Jasper laughed dryly. "I'm one hundred percent positive. I was in the room with one of them yesterday."

"What?" Carlisle asked, looking a bit angry. "You risked the treaty?"

"No." Danielle interjected quickly. "He was at Bella's house. Jasper said that was your land."

Carlisle instantly relaxed and nodded. "It is. Did you know he was going to be there, Jasper?" Carlisle asked. Jasper nodded with a frown. "Then why did you stay, son?" He scolded. "You know it is _very _dangerous to be around them. Anything could have happened."

"Danielle was in there. I wasn't going to leave her in there unprotected with that mongrel while my scent was all over her, Carlisle." Jasper said firmly.

Carlisle sighed. "Let's try to avoid that if we can. We have too much to deal with right now to have the wolves after us as well."

Jasper nodded and Carlisle stood to pace the room. "Carlisle?" Esme asked. She looked uneasy and worried.

He walked towards her and put a hand on her shoulder. "Alice will call again when either they have Edward or…" He trailed off uneasily while Esme choked back a sob. Danielle immediately moved over and hugged Esme. She hadn't thought about how Edward's decision would affect Carlisle and Esme.

Emmett had remained stoic the entire time and now stepped forward. "We're going to need to take care of Victoria before she finds out that Danielle is around, too." He said.

"I agree." Jasper said, his eyes on Danielle and Esme.

"We could try to work out a pact with the wolves. See if we can work together to get rid of her." Carlisle said quietly as he thought to himself.

"Not likely." Jasper scoffed. "I saw how that one acted. I highly doubt they will cooperate."

"I will try to arrange a meeting with their leader to speak with them." Carlisle said. Then he went back into his own thoughts.

"Thank you, Danielle." Esme said quietly. "It's just the thought of losing Edward…"

"He'll be ok. I have a good feeling about this, Esme. I know Alice and Bella won't stop until they have him." Danielle assured her. Esme nodded and offered a tiny smile.

The next two day were excruciatingly long as everyone waited to word from Alice. There was a stressed feeling hovering in the house and no one could seem to settle down long enough to calm down, their thoughts consumed with worry for Edward.

Rosalie was the worst. When she'd returned from her turn watching Charlie her face was covered in guilt and remorse and whenever she was in the house, she kept her distance from everyone but Emmett. Danielle knew she felt responsible and couldn't help but agree that this partly her fault, though she never voice it.

It was late on that second day when the cell phone that hadn't moved an inch away from Carlisle since Jasper had told him what had been going on rang. Everyone's eyes were immediately on Carlisle as he answered it lightening fast.

"Alice?" He asked urgently.

They watched his facial expression become relieved at once as he put a hand over his face and his body sagged with relief. Danielle felt all the tension leave the room immediately and Emmett grinned with a nod, obviously cheering for Bella and Alice in his head, while Esme was dry sobbing with relief. Jasper just let out a whoosh of air and shared a smile with Danielle.

"Ok, we'll be there tomorrow." Carlisle said before hanging up the phone. "They got him. They're on a plane and headed back now." Carlisle confirmed.

"Thank God." Danielle said as Carlisle went over to Esme to hug her tightly, both relieved that they hadn't lost a son. She and Jasper felt that it was ok for them to now leave the Cullen house.

"Is everyone going to stay in Forks?" Danielle asked once she and Jasper were walking to their cottage.

Jasper squeezed her hand and smiled. "I have a feeling they will. Now that Edward and Bella are reunited it will be very hard to keep Edward away from her. And I think they all missed this place."

Danielle nodded and smiled widely as they approached the cottage. They'd been staying in the Cullen house in case they got a call and hadn't returned to their own house yet.

"Finally." Danielle said as Jasper pulled her towards the door. He smiled and stopped just in front of it to kiss her lovingly.

"Glad to be home?" He asked, his eyes tender as he watched her.

"Home for me is wherever you are." She reminded him. "But I am glad to be back here."

Jasper smiled and lifted her into his arms, his lips on hers again, then walked through the doorway. She ran her fingers through his hair as he carried her towards their bedroom and she smiled teasingly, pulling her lips away a bit. "I think you're a little too into the whole threshold thing." Danielle teased.

"Do you care?" He asked with a wide grin.

"Not at all." She said as he set her down gently on the bed and joined her.

--

Danielle felt a range of emotions as soon as they walked into the airport to meet Edward, Bella, and Alice. Upon seeing Bella she felt worried because Bella was obviously exhausted. When she spotted Alice she felt happy and almost wanted to laugh at her triumphant expression.

When she saw Edward, she didn't know what she wanted to do. First she thought hitting him would feel nice, not just for him being stupid but also for leaving Bella. She figured the family wouldn't appreciate that though, especially since Esme was hugging him and dry heaving against him in relief at seeing him. Then she had the urge to hug her silly and irrational brother in law, happy to see him alive, but refrained when she suddenly wanted to yell at him for _being _silly and irrational.

Once he made his way towards them, his arm firmly around Bella, Danielle finally just caved and hugged him. Jasper laughed quietly behind her so she figured Edward must have a shocked look on his face. Sure enough, when she pulled away, he did. Then she decided to go through with her other two feelings as well and promptly smacked his arm.

"Don't you _ever _do that again. You made _everyone _worry." Danielle said, her finger in his face. Edward looked almost amused.

"Sorry, _sis_." He stressed before Jasper wrapped his arm around Danielle and reached out to squeeze Edward's shoulder with his free hand.

"Welcome back."

Edward nodded and smiled. "Thanks."

"Bella is dead on her feet!" Esme said. "Let's get her home."

They all started to walk back to the cars and Danielle sent a look up at Jasper. Rosalie and Emmett were waiting for them in the parking garage and she had a feeling there would be a few words getting thrown around soon.

Sur e enough, once Rosalie was in Edward's view Danielle saw him stiffen.

"Don't, Edward." Esme said quietly. "She feels awful."

"She should." Edward said loudly.

"It's not her fault." Bella said quietly.

"She's been a wreck the past few days, Edward. It's the only time I've ever seen her like that." Danielle offered.

"Let her make amends." Esme said, putting a hand on his shoulder. "We'll ride with Jasper, Danielle, and Alice."

Danielle peaked over Jasper's shoulder as he led her towards a different car and saw Edward glaring at Rosalie, who looked ashamed.

"I hope he doesn't kill her." Danielle commented making Jasper crack a smile.

"He won't."

She was sad to be separated from Bella again, her time catching up with her already cut short but her abrupt departure to Italy, but followed the family without argument, knowing she'd see her soon enough if Edward ever let her out of his sight again. Everyone at the house, even Rosalie to an extent, was in better spirits and Danielle had decided to stay up later than usual so she and Jasper could listen to Alice's recount of their experience in Italy, laughing when Alice kept talking about how much she loved a yellow Porsche she'd stolen.

"You look tired." Jasper said in her ear as she leaned her head against his shoulder.

"I'm not." She lied as she wrapped her arms around his hard waist.

"Liar." He said. "It's nearly two in the morning, you'll sleep all day tomorrow if you don't go to bed soon."

"I'd rather stay up with you." Danielle said as she looked up at him, using the eyes on him.

He mumbled under his breath but dropped his argument and she laughed, reaching up to kiss his neck. She turned her attention back to the conversation in front of them and saw Carlisle frowning now.

"So the Volturi want her changed?" Carlisle asked.

Alice nodded, the laughter gone from the conversation. "They said they will send someone to check but that could be years from now."

Carlisle nodded, but glanced quickly at Danielle, then away as he thought. Whatever was going through his mind was interrupted as the front door opened. "It's Edward and Bella." Alice said. Sure enough she heard Edward's voice fill the house a moment later. "Carlisle? Esme? Rosalie? Emmett? Alice? Jasper? Danielle?"

Carlisle stood to go greet them instantly while the others hung back.

"Welcome back, Bella." Danielle heard him say. "What can we do for you this morning? I imagine, due to the hour, that this is not a purely social visit?"

"I'd like to talk to everyone at once, if that's ok. About something important."

"Of course. Why don't we talk in the other room?" He said. Then Jasper was helping her up and they were all walking towards the dining room, a room Danielle had never seen any of the Cullens use. Bella was sitting between Carlisle and Edward and they shared a smile as Jasper pulled her into his lap.

"The floor is yours." Carlisle said.

"Well, " she started, "I hope Alice has already told you everything that happened in Volterra?"

"Everything." Alice said. Danielle looked and saw that she looked gleeful and she watched her curiously for a moment before turning to look at Bella when she spoke again.

"And on the way?"

"That, too." Alice said.

"Good, then we're all on the same page." She took a deep breath. "So, I have a problem. Alice promised the Volturi that I would become one of you. They're going to send someone to check, and I'm sure that's a bad thing – something to avoid." She said, her eyes briefly landing on Danielle. Danielle felt Jasper tighten his hold on her.

"And so, now, this involved you all. I'm sorry about that. But, if you don't want me, then I'm not going to force myself on you, whether Alice is willing or not."

Esme looked like she was about to speak but Bella held her hand up. "Please, let me finish. You all know what I want. And I'm sure you know what Edward thinks, too. I think the only fair way to decide is for everyone to have a vote. If you decide you don't want me, then…I guess I'll go back to Italy alone. I can't have _them _coming _here._"

Edward growled a bit but Bella ignored him. "Taking into account, then, that I won't put any of you in danger, either way, I want you to vote yes or no on the issue of me becoming a vampire." She said before turning to Carlisle for him to start the vote.

"Just a minute." Edward interrupted. "I have something to add before we vote." He said, standing up. "About the danger Bella's referring to, I don't think we need to be overly anxious." He started. "You see, there was more than one reason why I didn't want to shake Aro's hand there at the end. There's something they didn't think of, and I didn't want to clue them in."Edward said with a grin.

"Which was?" Alice urged.

"The Volturi are overconfident, and with good reason. When they decide to find someone, it's not really a problem. Do you remember Demetri? He finds people – that's his talent, why they keep him. Now, the whole time we were with any of them, I was picking their brains for anything that might save us, getting as much information as possible. So I saw how Demetri's talent works. He's a tracker – a tracker a thousand times more gifted then James was. His ability is loosely related to what I do, or what Aro does. He catches the…flavor? I don't know how to describe it…the tenor…of someone's mind, and then he follows that. It works over immense distances…but after Aro's little experiments, well…" He shrugged.

"You think he won't be able to find me."

"I'm sure of it." Edward said smugly. "He relies totally on that other sense. When it doesn't work with you, they'll all be blind."

"And how does that solve anything?" Bella asked.

"Quite obviously, Alice will be able to tell when they're planning a visit, and I'll hide you. They'll be helpless. It will be like looking for a piece of straw in a haystack!" Then he and Emmett shared a smirk.

"But they can find you." Bella argued.

"And I can take care of myself."

Emmett laughed next to Danielle and reached his fist out across the table. "Excellent plan, my brother." Emmett said enthusiastically. Danielle couldn't resist rolling her eyes when Edward smacked his fist against Emmett's.

"No." Rosalie hissed.

"Absolutely not." Bella said.

"That's a stupid idea." Danielle said at the same time Jasper said, "Nice" in an appreciative voice. They looked at each other skeptically as Alice said, "Idiots…" Esme was glaring at Edward.

"All right then, Edward has offered an alternative for you to consider. Let's vote." Bella said, turning to Edward. "Do you want me to join your family?"

"Not that way. You're staying human."

Bella nodded and moved on. "Alice?"

"Yes."

"Jasper?"

"Yes." Jasper said gravely and Danielle smiled as Bella looked shocked.

"Danielle?" Bella asked.

"Duh." She said simply. Bella smiled.

"Rosalie?"

Danielle watched Rosalie hesitate. "No." Then she put her hands up. "Let me explain! I don't mean that I have any aversion to you as a sister. It's just that…this is not the life I would have chosen for myself. I wish there had been someone to vote no for me."

Bella nodded then turned to Emmett. "Hell yes! We can find some other way to pick a fight with this Demetri!" Danielle rolled her eyes again.

Esme was next. "Yes, of course, Bella. I already think of you as a part of my family."

"Thank you, Esme." Then she looked at Carlisle but he was looking at Edward.

"Edward…"

"No." Edward growled.

"It's the only way that makes sense." He insisted. "You've chosen not to live without her, and that doesn't leave me a choice." Edward then shoved away from the table and stalked out of the room, surprising everyone. "I guess you know my vote." Carlisle sighed.

"Thanks." Bella murmured, her eyes following Edward. Danielle jumped when an earsplitting crash sounded from the other room, her eyes worried. Jasper sighed deeply behind her.

Bella said a few more words, hugged Esme, and then turned to Alice. "Well, Alice, where do you want to do this?"

Danielle's eyes widened in surprise while Alice's widened in terror. "You meant _now_?" Danielle asked incredulously.

"No! _No_! NO!" Edward roared as he stormed back in. "Are you insane? Have you utterly lost your mind?" Edward shouted and Danielle winced as his voice hurt her eardrums.

"Um, Bella…I don't think I'm _ready _for that." Alice said.

"You promised!" Bella said. Edward was looking furious.

"I don't have any idea how _not _to kill you!" Alice reasoned.

Bella turned to Carlisle. "Carlisle?"

"I'm able to do it. You're in no danger of me losing control." He said.

Danielle listened as Edward pleaded with Bella to at least wait and sighed in disappointment. Bella was so much closer to getting her eternity with Edward when she still had to wait for hers with Jasper. Jasper looked up at her and frowned. "What's wrong?" Jasper asked quietly.

When she heard Carlisle promise to turn Bella after graduation, Danielle frowned deeper. "She'll be turned before me."

Danielle looked down at Jasper and saw him frowning up at her, his eyes darting back and forth between her and Bella. "Two years, Danielle. Those were the terms we agreed on." He reminded her.

"Then what happens if the Volturi come next week and find me? What if they demand I be changed too?" She asked.

"That's highly unlikely." Jasper said immediately.

"Jasper…"

He sighed deeply. "Only under those extreme circumstances would I change you before that two year mark. You're staying human until then." He said with a note of finality.

Danielle looked down at him for a moment and nodded slowly. "Fine." She said, turning her eyes forward as Edward ushered Bella quickly from the room.

"Hey…" Jasper said turning her face back towards him. "Don't be mad at me." He said, his eyes sorry.

"I'm not." She said. "I'm just…stubborn." Danielle said, kissing his cheek to reassure him. He accepted it with a small nod. But she was curious about something, something she hadn't wanted to mention in front of Bella, and turned back to look at Carlisle. "Carlisle?"

"Yes?" He asked looking over at her.

"What about the treaty and that loophole? How do you plan on turning Bella without the wolves attacking?" Emmett, Rosalie, and Alice scowled at the mention of the wolves and Carlisle didn't look surprised that Jasper had told Danielle about it.

"I'm still working on that…for both of you." He said with a sigh.

Danielle nodded and Jasper stood, setting her on the ground.

"Come on, it's late." Jasper said and she let him pull her from the house. As they walked she squeezed his hand.

"I'll still be _me…_right? When I turn?" She asked unsurely.

Jasper smiled and kissed her hand. "You'll go back to being you, yes."

Danielle didn't miss the phrasing. "So then I won't be for a while?"

Jasper wrapped an arm around her. "No." He admitted. "Newborns generally only have one thing on their mind…but I'll be there to help you work past it. I promise."

Danielle wrapped her arms around his waist. "What if I attack you?'

"Don't worry, you won't. You won't be _that _far gone." He assured her.

They'd reached the house now and as soon as they were inside she pulled herself up to him for a kiss. Jasper was too good to her. She had no idea what she did to deserve him, but she was never letting him go. Jasper must have felt her emotions because he made a sound against her lips and kissed her harder. 

"And are you really so ready to give this up for a year of bloodlust?" He asked huskily as his lips trailed to her neck.

Danielle trembled against him. She realized he'd have to give up almost as much as she would once she was turned. "No, not one bit." She confessed as he moved his lips back to hers.

"I love you." Jasper said, his eyes full of devotion as he sent a wave of love and desire over her.

"I love you, too. No matter what." Danielle said before pulling him into another kiss.

--

**A/N: And we've reached the end of the New Moon portion of the series. Now the fun will really start! Woot! Review my lovely and appreciated readers!**


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N: Oh snap! A new chapter! How excited are you? It's a good one!**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing related to the Twilight series.**

--

Things had gone back to normal fairly quickly. The hospital gladly welcomed Carlisle back in while Alice and Edward had returned back at school. Danielle had been moping only the slightest bit over the fact that Bella was grounded by her first full day back in Forks after her rescue of Edward in Italy and Danielle had therefore not seen her in weeks, but most of her gloominess usually was pretty short lived. That was due majorly to the fact that she and Jasper had a whole lot of alone time now and had been living quite pleasantly in their cottage down the river from the Cullen house.

"Wow – this is getting pretty bad, isn't it?" Danielle asked as she scanned over the newspaper Emmett had dropped off for them. Well, he'd probably thrown it. That would explain why she'd grabbed it out of a pile of rubble that used to be a flowerpot.

Jasper stood behind her and put his hands on her shoulders, massaging them gently as he read the headline. "Death Toll On The Rise…Police Fear Gang Activity." Jasper read aloud. "Is that from yesterday or today?"

"Yesterday."

Jasper sighed and leaned down to read it over her shoulder. "That's not good." He said.

"Why not?"

"These aren't gang related." He said as he took a seat next to her. "And they're certainly not normal murders, either…"

"Are you saying this has something to do with vampires?" Danielle asked.

Jasper nodded. Danielle looked worried. "You don't think…?" She trailed off.

"No. It's not Dominic. Alice hasn't seen him at all." Jasper said at once. "Trust me, if I thought it was him you and I would not be in the cottage alone." Danielle nodded. "This," he said motioning to the paper, "is just some new careless vampire that no one seems to want to claim or control."

"Do you think it will be a problem?" She asked.

Jasper shook his head. "No, it shouldn't. We're only keeping an eye on it because it's happening so close to home."

Danielle stood and walked over to the stove before filling up a kettle with water and setting it on one of the burners. It was only a second before Jasper was wrapping his arms around her from behind and resting his chin on her shoulder. "You're sure that you don't mind staying in this house all day? You don't get too bored?" He asked.

Danielle smiled and patted his arm. "Of course not. I'm with you all day. How could that possibly be boring?"

"You don't want to give college a try or anything?" He asked.

"Are you _trying _to get me out of the house?" Danielle asked suspiciously. Jasper only laughed and turned her around to face him.

"Trust me, if I had it my way we wouldn't even leave the _bedroom _let alone the house." He said with a wink. "I just don't want you to miss out on anything."

Danielle wrapped her arms around his waist and hugged herself to him. "I've already experienced all the human things I wanted to experience, trust me on that. I'm over the whole school thing."

Jasper kissed her quickly when a knock sounded on the door and went to go answer it. At the same time, the small silver cell phone that was permanently hers went off.

Normally the family didn't carry cell phones on them constantly because there wasn't really a need to. They were always near enough to where if they really needed each other all they had to do was run to where the other person was and talk. Danielle, on the other hand, was now forced to keep her phone with her after she'd made a bad decision and gotten in huge trouble.

All she had been trying to do was help Bella. Jasper and Edward were away on a hunting trip and Edward had ordered Alice to keep a close eye on Bella to make sure she didn't do anything stupid. Bella had been angry, of course, but Danielle could tell that she was upset too. When Bella had informed her that it was because of her lack of contact with Jacob, she decided to take the risk.

Danielle had driven to La Push as soon as she left Bella's house and parked somewhere near the treaty line. She wasn't sure of its exact location but had noticed that on a walk she'd taken with Jasper, he'd gone no closer then that spot. After she thought about it she figured Jasper had led her there on purpose to show her where _not _to go. Keeping that in mind, she had stayed in the spot for a good thirty minutes until she finally saw a humungous wolf walk out from the shade of the nearby trees. At first she'd jumped in fright and almost darted back into her car but then it retreated back into the trees for a moment until Jacob Black strolled out.

"Mrs. Cullen." He said sarcastically, not sure of why she was there.

"Where's the treaty line?" Danielle had asked. "And it's Hale, actually."

"It's right in front of me." Jacob said as he crossed his arms. "You're perfectly fine to come on our side. It's your leech who isn't."

Danielle had then rolled her eyes and walked a bit closer. "I didn't want to test your little friends. I wouldn't want to get mistaken for a vampire and get ripped to shreds, thank you. And my husband isn't a leech."

Jacob had quirked an eyebrow at her. "If you've come here to convince me he's a 'good guy' or try to negotiate your way into letting the bloodsucker bite you, you might as well just leave."

Danielle had glared. "You don't have to be so damn rude." She snapped. "I came here because of Bella. You'd know that if you shut your gob long enough for someone else talk for a change." Right after she had said that she thought she heard a weird laughing sound come from the trees but it stopped just as quickly as it had started.

"What about her?" He'd asked unsurely.

"Can you try to make some attempt to speak with her? It's killing her, Jacob." Danielle had said, the snippiness disappearing from their conversation.

"I'm not the one who is killing her! Or _going _to anyway!" Jacob had argued back. "She's the one who made the choice."

"Oh, cut it out with all that mortal enemies crap for just one second." Danielle shot back. "Bella is your friend, right?"

"She –"

"_Right_?" Danielle interrupted.

Jacob had stared her down then rolled his eyes. "Yes."

"Then stop being like this. It's not making anything better. There's bigger fish to fry then this mortal enemies thing, like oh, I don't know, maybe the psycho redhead trying to kill your best friend?"

Jacob had smirked. "Which redhead are we talking about? There's more than one, I think."

"Funny." Danielle had said dryly. "I think we're done here. Stop being stupid and start fixing things with Bella." She said pointing at him. "And while you're at it, trying working with the bloodsuckers on this Victoria thing. You might find them useful."

Jacob had made a sour face. "We're definitely done here." He started walking away but called over his shoulder, "And tell Bella not to send you here as a negotiator anymore."

"Actually, she has no idea I'm here." She'd said smugly. Jacob had scowled then disappeared.

Danielle had been about to leave when another boy stepped out of the woods peering at her curiously. He wasn't as massive as Jacob but he was still pretty big. She could see his eyes held more youth in them and he had a curious look on his face. "So _you're _Cullen's wife? Danielle, right?" He'd asked, walking right up to the treaty line.

"Yes, and it's Hale, actually." She'd corrected for the second time that night.

"I'm Seth Clearwater…I just wanted to meet the 'crazy chick' who married the vampire." Seth had said with a boyish grin.

Danielle sent a sour look towards the trees, having a good idea who he was quoting. "Yeah, that's me."

Seth nodded. "Right on. Good job on telling off Jake, too. That was pretty funny." He said with a laugh.

Danielle had smiled, feeling herself taking a liking to Seth. "Thanks."

A growl emitted from the trees and Seth rolled his eyes. "Jake wants me to stop talking to you, I think. Catch ya, later." He said before running back into the trees. It had been that conversation with Seth that gave Danielle hope that maybe the vampires and werewolves could someday get along. Not all of the wolves were rude and irrational after all. Danielle had of course gotten in big trouble when she got home and Alice said she'd called Jasper out of concern and not to kill her when she and Jasper got into a fight.

Jasper had been furious, of course, but Danielle had assured him she'd stayed on their side of the treaty line and she'd only talked them for a few minutes. Needless to say, Jasper hadn't trusted her _not _to go to La Push, especially when she told him that Seth Clearwater was actually pretty nice, and had then forced the cell phone upon her. She hadn't gone anywhere near La Push or the treaty line ever since, just to make Jasper feel better.

Now Danielle picked up the phone and smiled brightly when she heard her mother's voice. "What's up, mom?" She asked as she took the now screaming pot of the stove.

"Oh, nothing. I was wondering if you and Jasper would like to come to dinner tonight?" Lynne asked.

Danielle looked over towards Jasper and froze. He was pacing around looking worried and whoever had been at the door was gone. "Er, not tonight, mom. Jasper and I already have plans."

"Like what?" Lynne asked. "I've been trying to get you to come all week!"

"Mom, we're newlyweds. Let us bask in our newlywedness." She said in exasperation.

"Oh, fine. With all this 'newlywedness' you're 'basking in' I better get a grandbaby I can spoil rotten soon or I'll be angry." Lynne threatened.

Danielle rolled her eyes. "Don't count on it, mom. You put me on birth control when I was sixteen, remember?"

Lynne sighed. "You could miss a day…"

"_Bye, _mom."

"Oh, bye."

When Danielle snapped the phone shut she went over to Jasper. "What's wrong? What's the look for?"

"Alice had a vision today. She saw Victoria coming back but Victoria keeps trying to decide if she's going to go after you or Bella." Jasper said with worry.

Danielle nodded, her brows together. "When?"

"Saturday night." Jasper said.

"Well, good, then that's a few days away and you can cook up a plan with Carlisle. It'll be fine." Danielle said as she walked over and hugged him. "In the meantime, back to the Cullen house?"

He nodded. "Definitely."

--

The few days of leeway they had flew by a little too quickly for her taste. Danielle wasn't happy that the only plan they'd come up with was to try to catch her scent then track her down, especially because everyone but Esme and Edward would be out looking for her, but resigned to the fact that there wasn't much else they could do.

Bella had come over the night they found out and Jasper had given her a pointed look to make sure she didn't say anything about what Alice had seen and Danielle had nodded, not liking keeping her friend in the dark. It hadn't really mattered anyway, they'd told everyone they were going to Jacksonville for the weekend to visit Bella's mother.

But now it was late on Saturday afternoon and everyone was preparing to head out and Danielle wasn't happy about it in the slightest.

"Darlin', we'll be fine." Jasper said as he tried to get her to relax. "There are five of us versus her, she doesn't stand a chance."

"I just don't like the thought of her getting anywhere near you. Don't be the hero, Jasper. If she runs, don't go after her alone."

"I won't." He said. "If she runs, I'll take Emmett with me."

"Jasper!" Danielle said, her tone serious. "I mean it!"

"So do I." Jasper shot back. "Remember what I said about Jacob? How as long as he poses a threat to anyone I care about he's my enemy?" Danielle nodded. "Well, the same thing goes for Victoria. I'm ready for this to be over with." Jasper said.

Danielle sighed and Jasper lifted her chin when she looked away. "Trust me, darlin'. I can take care of myself."

"You'd better."

He'd pulled her into a breathtaking kiss then that her head spinning. When he pulled away, he smirked and winked at her. "I love you."

"I love you, too." She said before he ran out the door with the others. She and Esme shared a worried look before they both began pacing around in the living room impatiently.

This was stupid. They had no idea how long it would take or if they would even be able to catch her tonight. After walking up and down the same path for an hour and half straight, Danielle went for the door.

"Where are you going?" Esme asked immediately.

"I'm just stepping outside. I need fresh air." She said.

Esme nodded hesitantly and Danielle stepped out onto the porch, throwing herself onto the bench. Being mortal was really beginning to suck. She felt like every time she and Jasper got to a point where they could relax and enjoy their time together, something happened. Esme and Carlisle had explained to her that it was the baggage that would come with being married to a vampire until she was turned and she'd just kind of have to get used to it.

None if it seemed fair though, and not just to her. It wasn't fair to the Cullens that she kept putting their way of life in risk. She was positive that they had never had this many problems before she and Bella had come around. Danielle was also sure everything could be solved and Jasper and Edward would just cave and turn them.

Danielle sighed and stretched out on her back to lay down, her eyes on the stars. She knew Jasper and Edward would be impossible to convince. They'd both been promised a certain time frame and neither was budging from the plan. Her eyes slid closed as she tried to think of ways to convince him…

Then they popped back open and she sat up immediately.

Danielle knew she was being watched.

She turned and saw that Esme was still pacing around inside, not paying any attention to Danielle and completely lost in her thoughts.

"Well, hello there again." An Irish-accented voice said.

Danielle stiffened and turned to see Dominic perched on the edge of the porch.

"You really are a hard one to find." He commented, almost with boredom, as he watched her. He was talking quietly, so as not to alert Esme of his arrival. "And a tough one to get to. Your _husband_…" He spat. "Never seems to want to leave your side."

"I kind of like it that way." Danielle said shakily.

"I bet you do, especially right now." Dominic said with a smirk.

In a flash he'd grabbed her and pinned her to the wall, his hand on her throat and his other one covering her mouth when she would have screamed. "Scream and I'll rip your jaw off." Dominic hissed. Danielle immediately cut off her would-be scream. "Much better."

Danielle closed her eyes and trembled in fear as his nose slid along her neck. "You smelled so sweet in Ireland…I can barely smell it now, his scent is so overpowering." Dominic said. "He's a fool to have kept you as a human for so long."

Danielle looked up at him finally and saw his crimson eyes burning with excitement.

"Don't worry, my sweet, I won't be killing you tonight." Dominic said quietly. "Do you really think I would have gone through all this trouble, followed you for all these months, just to kill you when you happen to finally be _completely _unguarded? There's no joy in that at all. No…" He said. "I want him to _see _you die. I want him to know that he failed at protecting his pretty little pet."

Danielle gulped as Dominic laughed a soft laugh.

"Oh no…no fun at all." He repeated.

The door flew open a few feet down and suddenly Esme was crouching, a ferocious snarl ripping from her throat as her eyes landed on Dominic. Dominic immediately snarled back and fled, leaving so quickly Danielle barely had time to catch herself as she fell forward.

"Inside." Esme said, her eyes wild and searching. Danielle did as she was told. She'd never _ever _seen Esme like that, didn't even know she _could _be like that, and didn't want to do anything to anger Esme any further…as if she wanted to stay outside anyway.

Once they were both in Esme looked apologetic. "I'm sorry you had to see that."

"I-it's fine." Danielle stammered.

"I take it that was Dominic." Esme said sourly, her eyes searching out the window again.

"Yes."

"What did he say?" Esme asked.

As she recalled his promising threat Danielle began to tear up and Esme was immediately hugging her soothingly as they sunk onto the couch. "He's going to kill me. He's determined. He'll never leave me alone." Danielle sobbed.

Esme just cooed to her words of encouragement as she rocked her back and forth, never letting her go. And that was how the others found her.

"Those stupid _dogs_ –" Rosalie growled.

"They could have at least let us go after her. " Emmet said angrily. "This whole thing could have ended tonight."

"She could have been ambushed if those _mongrels _hadn't over reacted." Jasper snarled.

"Danielle? Esme?" Carlisle asked, worry lace in his voice. This caught the attention of the others and Jasper was immediately by her.

"Darlin', I told you we would be fine!" He said grabbing her from Esme's arms and pulling her close. "See, we're all back unscathed."

"No, it's not that!" Danielle said, her sobs quieting finally.

"What is it?" Jasper asked.

Alice gasped and ran outside. Emmett followed her, Jasper watching in confusion, then stormed back in a second later. "Dominic." He snarled dangerously.

Jasper stiffened and he looked down at her immediately. "Was he here? Are you hurt? What happened?" He asked. Then he leaned forward and pressed his nose against her neck. "Damnit, I _smell _him on her!" He growled.

"I'm not hurt." Danielle told Jasper as she clung to him tighter. "Not yet anyway. He's determined, Jazz. He wants me dead and he wants to do it where you can watch."

Jasper had started trembling violently and she knew he was trying to keep his rage concealed. "How could you not see it, Alice?" Jasper demanded angrily.

"I don't know! I don't know what happened! I've been trying to keep tabs on it but nothing has ever shown him anywhere near her!" Alice said in a panic. Danielle lifted her head to see that Emmett, Carlisle, and Rosalie had disappeared. "Danielle, I'm so sorry!" Alice said.

"It's ok…it's not your fault." Danielle said. "Where are the others?"

"Following his trail." Jasper said, his voice a growl. He was still shaking. "Is he connected with Victoria?"

Alice thought long and hard. "No. No, I don't think so. We would have caught his scent near hers if they were, anyway."

Jasper seemed to accept it because he nodded curtly then promptly carried her up the stairs to his old bedroom. Danielle just clung to him tightly the whole time as he pressed his face against her neck. Once they were inside her set her down on her feet but immediately crushed her to his body. She didn't mind as she buried her face into his neck, feeling the raised skin of his invisible scars against her cheek.

"I won't let anything happen to you." Jasper promised in her. "I swear I won't. Dominic will die a thousand times over before he gets to you."

Danielle nodded, feeling safe in Jasper's arms, but couldn't push Dominic from her head. She knew Dominic would never give up until either he was killed or she was. And something in her gut kept telling her that he just might succeed.

"Don't think like that." Jasper whispered determinedly, lifting her head to his. "I'm not going to leave your side again. He's not going to get anywhere near you." He rubbed her cheek tenderly then. "I love you, darlin'. You know I would do anything to protect you."

"I love you, too, Jazz." She said. Then she sighed as his lips pressed against hers lovingly before letting him carry her to the bed. She curled up against him, his arms tight and protective around her, and after the emotional strain that had put on her, fell quickly into a restless sleep.

--

**A/N: Reviews, my lovelies! **


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N: I'm pretty excited that we're in the Eclipse portion now. I positively loved Eclipse. I'm going to have some fun with this one.**

**So here's your next chapter! Enjoy it!**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing related to the Twilight series.**

**--**

Danielle wasn't very surprised when she woke up the next morning to discover that she hadn't moved one inch. That was due to the fact that Jasper's arms hadn't moved an inch either and she was still held tightly against him.

She smiled up at him and slipped her arm underneath his to wrap around his waist, her eyes taking in his facial expression. He was looking at her tenderly but there was definitely a hint of anger and determination mixed in with it.

"Are you alright?" She asked quietly.

"I will be." Jasper said back.

"Are Emmett, Carlisle, and Rosalie back?"

Jasper nodded. "Yeah, they got back last night. Dominic got away again."

Danielle sighed and squeezed herself even tighter to him. Jasper finally moved his arm so that he could slide his hand up and down her spine. "I won't let him get near you." Jasper said quietly before he kissed her forehead.

"I know." She said looking at him with worried eyes. "But I don't really want you fighting him either. If he hurt you in anyway…"

Jasper smirked. "What would you do?"

Danielle frowned. "Have Carlisle bite me, go through my transformation, then go and rip his sorry butt to shreds."

Jasper frowned, too. "I sincerely hope you wouldn't do anything like that."

"I would. You don't mess with my man and live to tell about it." She said quickly. Jasper just shook his head and kissed her. "My little soldier…" He muttered with a small smile.

"What happened last night?" She asked once her lips were free. "What happened with Victoria?"

Jasper rolled his eyes as he remembered their original hunt last night. "We almost had her. We picked up her scent not far from the treaty line but it lead onto the dogs' side so we couldn't follow it. Apparently they were aware that she was there too because they chased her back onto our side. We were waiting for her to turn up then we saw her not that far south from us. She saw us too and panicked 

before taking off back down the treaty line. It would have been the perfect ambush if we could have set up something with the dogs because as we chased her south they came running up north and we had her right in between us. But she kept tiptoeing on that stupid line." Jasper said, his eyes angry.

"What happened?"

"Well, Emmett finally took a lunge for her and missed which sent him over the line and he almost barreled into one of the wolves. The wolves then got defensive as Emmett came back onto our side and Rosalie of course got territorial and angry that they were looking like they wanted to attack Emmett and everyone kind of forgot about Victoria to protect their own party."

"That's not good." Danielle said. "Is Emmett alright?"

"Yeah, no one got hurt or anything. Carlisle and I settled everything down then we all agreed we needed to go after Victoria. We let them have the line and they followed her down to the shore. Emmett and I asked to go after her but they wouldn't let us cross."

"What?" Danielle asked loudly. "I told you not to go after her!"

"And I told you I would!" Jasper shot back. But he calmed a second later. "I shouldn't have though…then I could have been here to protect you and finish Dominic."

Danielle reached her hand up to brushed his hair away from his face. "Don't beat yourself up." She said softly. "We'll get him eventually."

Jasper just nodded and pulled her in for a kiss.

--

True to his word, Jasper hadn't left her side for probably more then a total of ten minutes, even though Alice was working overtime and keeping a firm eye on both Victoria and Dominic. If Danielle wanted to walk outside, he was right there with her. If she wanted to go shopping with Alice, he went with them. If she wanted to take a shower, he was there…not that she really minded that one at all. The only time he wasn't there was when she had to be a human and use the restroom but even then he stood right outside the door.

Any normal person would have found it overbearing but she just couldn't bring herself to be annoyed by Jasper. He was making sure she was safe and it wouldn't be right for her to get angry about something like that.

They were now in the living room of the Cullen house while Jasper was reading a paper. Danielle was lying on her back with her head in his lap while his fingers played with her curls absentmindedly. She was on the phone with her mother.

"Mom, you really should give up on it…" Danielle said in exasperation. "First you were angry that we got married so young, then you were panicked when you thought I came back to tell you I was pregnant, and now you're already naming a child that hasn't even been conceived?" She asked.

Jasper kept reading with a smirk on his face.

"What's so wrong with having a baby?" Lynne asked. "You two would make a gorgeous baby."

"Well, unfortunately, Jasper and I are both way too selfish to give up our alone time." Danielle said.

Lynne made a disappointed sound and dropped it. "Will you two _please _join me and Charlie for dinner tonight?"

Danielle looked up at Jasper then sighed. "Yeah, sure, mom. I think we've tortured you long enough."

"Finally! Be here around seven!"

"Ok, bye, mom."

When she clicked the phone shut Jasper finally looked down at her. "Is there a reason why your mother is intent on us having a baby?" He asked with a frown as he folded up the newspaper and tossed it away carelessly.

Danielle shrugged. "She's probably just bored and wants to spoil someone."

Jasper smiled down at her for a moment, then looked unsure. "Do you _want _to have a baby with me?"

Danielle sat up and looked at him in shock. They'd never gone into this territory. Sure, every once in a while Danielle had imagined a little Jasper running around in their cottage and it had warmed her heart, but at the same time she couldn't bring herself to let go of her alone time with Jasper.

"I don't…I don't know…" She finally said. "Can we even conceive?"

Jasper shrugged. "I honestly don't know. I know that vampires can't because our body just stops most normal human functions but our relationship is unique. Humans and vampires don't usually become physically involved."

Danielle nodded and moved closer to him, grabbing his hand. "I would love to have your children if I could, but I don't know if I'm ready to have my time with you taken away."

Jasper smiled and leaned forward to kiss her. "I know exactly what you mean."

They pulled away and watched each other for a moment before Danielle smiled at him. "We're eating dinner with my mother and Charlie. Try to look sickly so you can get out of having to eat." She said trying to veer the conversation in a different direction. Jasper laughed and pulled her into his lap for another kiss.

"I think I've got the sickly part down."

Seven o'clock came pretty quickly and Danielle and Jasper were soon walking hand in hand up the walkway to Lynne's house. She opened the door excitedly as soon as they walked up and hugged them both happily.

"It's so good to see you!" She said. "Quick! I made spaghetti!" Danielle and Jasper shared a look at her enthusiasm and followed her.

When they entered the kitchen, Charlie was already there. He hugged Danielle awkwardly then shook Jasper's hand with a firm look. Danielle thought she saw Jasper's eyebrow quirk and when they pulled away, Charlie rubbed his hand a bit.

"Well, come on, dig in!" Lynne said.

Everyone but Jasper, who was feeling 'under the weather' began eating and conversation took off. Danielle was watching her mother curiously. Something seemed very different about her, now that she was seeing her for the first time in almost a month. She was talking to Jasper pleasantly but she was practically glowing. Danielle turned to look at Charlie. Charlie was watching her mom with a wistful look on his face, a look she thought she'd never see coming from Charlie. Once they were finished eating, Danielle finally turned her attention back to Lynne.

"Is there something you wanted to tell me?" Danielle asked suddenly. Jasper looked down at her in surprise then over at Lynne. Lynne looked surprised too.

"What makes you think that?" Lynne asked, sharing a knowing smile with Charlie.

"Because you've been inviting us over every day for the past three weeks, you're glowing, and Charlie is wistful. What's going on?" Danielle asked.

Lynne and Charlie shared a smile. "Can't get anything past her." Charlie murmured.

"Danielle, Charlie and I are getting married." Lynne said.

Danielle's jaw dropped in shock and she looked down at her mother's hand to see that there was, indeed, an engagement ring on it.

"Oh wow." Danielle said. "When did this happen?"

"About a month ago." Charlie said, smiling at Lynne.

"Does Bella know?" Danielle asked. Jasper was just watching with a surprised look on his face.

"Not yet. We figured we'd start with you first and see how everything went." Charlie said with a laugh.

Danielle looked up at Jasper in surprise then finally smiled. "Well…congratulations!" She said.

"Yes, congratulations." Jasper repeated with a smile. Danielle stood to hug her mother and then share another awkward hug with Charlie.

"You're ok with it, right?" Lynne asked. Danielle waved her off and nodded. "Yeah, yeah, I'm just surprised, that's all."

"Let's pop some champagne!" Lynne said.

One hour, two toasts and a very disgusted looking vampire later, they were walking back into the Cullen house. "I really could have gone on existing without having to see Lynne and Charlie kissing." Jasper said.

"You and me both…" Danielle laughed. "I _am _excited for them though. I haven't seen my mom that happy in a long time."

"Too bad my future father-in-law doesn't like me very much." Jasper said as he wrapped his arms around her shoulders and started leading her to his old bedroom.

"It doesn't even matter. You were in the family first, remember?" Danielle asked as she hugged herself to him and kissing his shoulder.

"Hey, Jasper!" Emmett called after them as he entered the room.

They both turned and Jasper gave him a little nod. "What's up, Emmett?"

"Edward, Carlisle, and I are going hunting for a few days, want to come?" Emmett asked hopefully. "It'll be a guy weekend!"

Jasper looked hesitantly down at Danielle and shook his head. "No, I don't think so."

Danielle sighed and put her hand against Jasper's face. He hadn't hunted in nearly three weeks and his eyes were nearly pitch black now. "Jazz, I know you want to protect me, but you need to eat. Go with them. Alice hasn't seen anything out of the ordinary so I think I'll be fine without you for a few days."

Jasper seemed to be debating it when Emmett spoke up. "Come on, Jasper. It's either go with us or stay here, lose it, and do something stupid."

Jasper finally sighed. "Ok. Where are we going?"

Emmett grinned in satisfaction. "Northern California. Apparently they're having a bit of a mountain lion problem."

Jasper cringed. "California? That far?"

Danielle dug her elbow into Jasper's side. "It'll be fine." She said.

He sighed again. "Fine."

"Good. We're leaving in an hour." Emmett said.

Jasper looked down at her and frowned. "I thought you wanted me here twenty four seven?"

"I do, but you need to hunt." Danielle reminded him as she started up towards the bedroom. Jasper followed her and halfway up the stairs he picked her up and tossed her over his shoulder. Danielle just laughed at him.

"I'm beginning to think you were born in the _caveman _era, rather then the Civil War era." She said with a laugh. The world spun for a second and then she was on her back on the bed with Jasper crawling on top of her to join her. He didn't say anything but lowered his head for a toe curling kiss.

"I'll be fine, Jazz." She said when he pulled away. "I won't do anything stupid."

"Promise?" He asked.

"Of course I do."

Jasper had been very reluctant to leave but after literally getting dragged out by Emmett he was gone. Danielle wasn't totally surprised when Bella and Alice showed up about forty-five minutes later. She figured Edward would want her somewhere where she could be watched.

"Holding you hostage?" Danielle asked.

"You know it." Bella said as she sat down on the couch next to her.

"I feel like it's been forever since we got to talk." Danielle said sadly. She didn't know where Alice had gone but the vampire wasn't in the room. She thought to their parents' engagement and suddenly, she had to tell her. "I have something juicy to tell you, but you can't tell _anyone _you know about it." Danielle said.

"What?" Bella asked moving in closer.

"My mom…and your dad…"

"Are dating, yeah I know that already." Bella said with a laugh.

Danielle shook her head. "No, they're _engaged._"

Bella's jaw dropped then. "What? Engaged?"

Danielle nodded. "My mom has been trying to get me and Jasper out there for weeks so we finally went tonight and they broke the news. Apparently they've been engaged for a month now."

"Wow…how did I not know? I always see Lynne!" Bella said in surprise.

Danielle shrugged. Then Bella looked irritated. "When were they going to tell me?"

"I don't know." Danielle laughed. "They only told me first to see how I'd react to try to gauge your reaction."

Bella fell silent. "Wow…" She finally said. "Everyone just wants to get married, don't they?"

"What?" Danielle asked in confusion.

Bella sighed. "Well, I want Edward to be the one to turn me but he'll only do it if I marry him first."

"What's so wrong with that?"

"I don't know…" Bella said distractedly. "I just…I've never really been the one looking forward to the whole marriage thing." She flopped backward onto the couch. "I just have to think about it, that's all."

Danielle nodded and paused before letting out a sigh of her own. "Jasper asked me if I wanted to have a baby."

Bella shot up, her jaw dropped. "Whoa."

"That's what I said."

"Can you two even…you know, have one?" Bella asked.

"We don't know…" Danielle trailed off.

"Do you _want _to have one?"

Danielle shrugged. "Part of me does and part of me doesn't. The part that doesn't is way bigger, too. I really like it just being the two of us, you know?"

Bella nodded.

"I'm pretty tired." Danielle said, standing up. "I think I'm off to bed now."

"Me too." Bella agreed. "Plus I have school in the morning."

Danielle just laughed at her as they went their separate ways.

The next day Bella went to school as usual with Alice and Danielle found it very strange to be in the house with just Rosalie and Esme. She was so used to having Jasper glued to her side that she forgot what private space was. Jasper had, of course, called her early that morning to make sure everything was fine and she'd assured him there were no problems and to keep hunting. Alice hadn't been seeing anything out of the ordinary and for the moment there was nothing to worry about.

Danielle was surprised though when she got a call from Alice not long after that, informing her that Bella had escaped with Jacob Black and was probably in La Push. Danielle had laughed at that but stopped when Alice made an angry sound. She figured that the call was so Alice could vent to somebody but Danielle got another idea all together.

Quickly slipping out of the house and into the garage, she got in the car Carlisle and Esme had given her nearly a year ago and pulled out before speeding off in the direction of La Push. Jasper would be furious with her, but she was bound and determined to try to fix this stupid fighting between the werewolves 

and the vampires. After all, Jasper had said they could have ambushed Victoria if they could have worked something out. The only way to do that was to try to get along.

Danielle parked just outside the treaty line again and paused unsurely before she could cross on foot. Jacob had said she could come over the treaty line but she knew that Jasper's scent was all over her. She'd already been mistaken for a vampire once, who was to say it wouldn't happen again?

As if on cue, a smiling and definitely human Seth Clearwater walked out of the woods. "Hey, Danielle." He said. "Thought I smelled you."

Danielle smiled. "I was hoping if anyone turned up it would be you."

Seth grinned and motioned her over. "You can come over here, you know. I won't bite."

Danielle finally crossed over and stood next to him. He looked bigger now that they were side by side but not in a menacing way like Jacob. It was clear he wasn't quite as hot tempered since a big friendly grin hadn't left his face yet.

"What brings you to La Push?" He asked.

"Well…I came to talk about this whole enemies thing."

Seth looked surprised. "Oh, well, you should talk to Sam then."

"No, I'd really rather not." Danielle said quickly. "I'm more so trying to figure out _why _you hate them so much."

Seth looked at her then motioned for her to follow him. "Let's take a walk." Danielle hesitated and he put he crossed his arms. "Well?"

Danielle finally followed him and they began walking through the surrounding trees. "First off, and this is between us, I _personally _don't have a very big problem with them." Seth admitted. "The whole enemies this runs really deep but I mean, they've never really done anything to try to harm our people…or any people for that matter."

"They really can be decent if you give them a chance." Danielle said.

"Obviously they can if you married one of them." Seth said with a laugh. "How did that come about anyway?"

Danielle looked up into his big, curious eyes and shrugged. "We met, fell in love, and got married."

"And he hasn't tried to suck your blood or anything?" Seth asked.

"He wanted to in the beginning but he obviously resisted." Seth had his eyes trained on her, looking like he wanted her to elaborate. "That's a story for a different time."

He nodded. "Sam is really strict about the whole not tolerating the vamps thing. Your leader, what's his name?"

"Carlisle."

"Yeah, him. He tried to set up a meeting to get this Victoria thing settled out but Sam wouldn't talk to him. I think he's being even more uncooperative because of you and Bella. Doesn't want the vamps to think they have any more space to wiggle out a few more she-vamps."

Danielle forced out a laugh as he laughed to himself. If only he knew. "I also wanted to talk to you about something else, something you can relay to Sam."

Seth looked interested now. "What's that?"

"There's another vampire on the loose. His name is Dominic and he followed Jasper and I from Ireland." She explained. "He's pretty intent on killing me."

Seth looked serious now. "And you're still traveling around on your own?"

"Jasper went hunting, it's been nearly three weeks for him, but he usually doesn't leave my side…no one knows I'm here, yet." She said. "I wanted to try to come and straighten a few things out. You know, get the ball rolling."

Seth made a face. "Good luck with that. This Dominic, is he working with the psycho hose-beast?"

Danielle laughed. "As far as we know, no."

"Pretty coincidental, don't ya think?" Seth asked.

"Yeah…"

They'd broken out of the trees now and Seth looked around. "I have to get back to my patrolling now. I'm sure Sam is freaking out that he hasn't been able to hear my thoughts yet."

"Hear your thoughts?"

Seth nodded. "We can hear each other when we're in wolf form. Kind of annoying actually."

Danielle smiled and crossed back over. "Well it was nice talking to you, Seth."

"You too, Danielle." She started to get in the car when he called out again. "If by some unlikely and slim chance that you get turned into a bloodsucker, I promise I won't kill you." He said with a grin.

"Thanks. That makes me feel…uh…a bit paranoid actually. Maybe even it a bit disconcerted." She said with a laugh.

Seth just laughed and dashed back into the woods. Danielle shook her head, laughing to herself, and got back in the car. She was really beginning to like Seth Clearwater. He didn't seem like the other wolves. 

He was nice, open minded. And she had to admit that she felt even better knowing that the wolves would know about Dominic, too, so they could help keep an eye out for him.

With one last smile she threw the car into reverse, turned around, and headed back to the Cullen house.

--

**A/N: I couldn't help it! I liked Seth a lot in the books. I would totally shrink him and keep in my pocket and just feed him little crackers all day long if I could. Pocket-Seth! Yay! Review!**


	13. Chapter 13

**A/N: Hmmm…I see we're slacking on reviews here…I'm a bit disappointed!**

**Anyway, here's the next chapter. Never fear! I'm in complete control of the story!**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing related to the Twilight series.**

**--**

To her surprise, Jasper hadn't called or returned home early after her trip to La Push so she figured he was either beyond furious or simply had no idea she had gone, the latter seeming highly unlikely. Alice had refused to give up any information on whether or not Jasper knew, claiming she and Bella were traitors and plotting against her for going to La Push, and Danielle had been extremely anxious all night. But nothing had happened, no one had yelled at her, and she finally went up to Jasper's room to sleep, curling up on the side he usually occupied.

Now she was surprised to feel two cold arms wrapped around her and a cold chest against her back as the sleep began to clear from her mind.

"Good morning." Jasper said stiffly.

Yeah. He was mad.

Danielle hesitantly turned over and saw that he had an eyebrow quirked high and was wearing an expression that demanded either an explanation or an apology. Danielle decided it would be better to go with both.

"I'm sorry…I just was trying to help out." She offered with a grimace.

"May I ask how?" He asked coolly.

"Well…you said that if the vampires and the wolves had been able to work something out you could have caught Victoria. I figured I could kind of get this whole cooperation thing going…you know, smooth out some of the wrinkles on the old shirt of life. After all, it's a_ very_ wrinkly shirt. You have to start somewhere, right?"

Jasper was staring down at wordlessly. "You promised me." He said.

"I never promised that I would stay away from La Push." Danielle countered.

"Yes, I know, but you promised you wouldn't do anything stupid. Leaving the house unprotected when I'm two states away while a sadistic vampire is after you just to talk to few dogs sounds _pretty stupid _to me." Jasper growled.

"Jasper…" Danielle sighed. "I'm sorry, ok? And I was _kind _of safe…I was with Seth the whole time. I doubt he would have let anything happen."

"Oh, yeah, _the dog_. Even better." He said sarcastically. Danielle pulled herself from his arms, surprised when he let her go, and looked down at him.

"Seth is different. He's the one giving me hope that ya'll can finally stop being _babies _and work together." Danielle said angrily. "And I told him about Dominic so now he's being watched from both fronts which means extra protection for me…or would you rather them not watch Dominic and me eventually get killed when he slips through?"

Jasper winced but then his eyes were blazing with anger as he sat up too. "Are you saying we're not protecting you well enough? That I'm not capable of keeping you safe?"

"No! That's not what I said!" Danielle sighed and rubbed her forehead. "All I'm saying is that the wolves can help. It's just double protection. I figured you would appreciate it since you want to keep me alive and everything."

"I can take care of you myself. I don't need help from those _dogs_." He growled before getting up lightening fast and storming out of the room. Danielle watched him go and let out a frustrated growl. He was being absolutely ridiculous. She finally threw herself off the bed and stormed downstairs to find him.

"He went outside." Alice said, leaning against the doorway. Danielle slammed the door open and saw Jasper standing completely still at the edge of the river. He looked like he was contemplating leaving, maybe just to go and calm down. Danielle walked around the front of him and his eyes flicked down to look into hers. He was still angry.

"What is this really about?" Danielle demanded, crossing her arms.

"I don't want you around Seth." Jasper said firmly. "They're unstable and they're dangerous, even him. If you were to say the wrong thing you could be dead in an instant."

"Seth is my friend now. He wouldn't do that." Danielle argued.

"I thought we agreed on no wolf friends?" Jasper asked.

"I don't ever remember agreeing to that."

Jasper scoffed and Danielle rolled her eyes but was cut short when Carlisle was standing outside the door. "Danielle? Jasper? Come inside." He said.

Neither one argued and Jasper rushed in, leaving her behind. Danielle just called him a few choice names under her breath and walked through the doorway Carlisle was holding open.

"What's wrong?" He asked.

"Don't worry about it. Your son is just being irrational." Danielle growled. Carlisle nodded and let the subject drop.

When she got into the living room she quickly took a seat next to Esme instead of the usual seat she would have taken next to Jasper. She wasn't going to be near him if he was still going to act like a moron. But then she looked around at all the other faces in the room and saw that they were all expressions of stress. Worriedly, Danielle looked over at Esme and leaned in closer.

"What's wrong?"

"There was a vampire snooping through Bella's room." Esme said. A moment later the door burst open and a very angry Edward came into the room, Bella following him.

"What happened?" He demanded angrily, the question directed towards Alice.

"I have no idea. I didn't see anything." She said stiffly.

"How is that _possible_?"

Bella said Edward's name to try to get him to calm down as Carlisle interrupted. "It's not an exact science, Edward."

"He was in her _room, _Alice. He could have still been there – waiting for her."

"I would have seen that." Alice said back.

"Really? You're sure?" He asked in exasperation.

Alice was angry now. "You're already got me watching the Volturis' decisions, watching for Victoria's return, watching Bella's every step, not to mention that I'm keeping an eye out for Dominic as well. You want to add another? Do I just have to watch Charlie, or Bella's room, or the house, or the whole street, too? Edward, if I try to do too much, things are going to start slipping through the cracks."

"It looks like they already are." Edward snapped.

"She was never in any danger. There was nothing to see."

"If you're watching Italy, why didn't you them send –" Edward started but Alice beat him to the punch.

"I don't think it's them." Alice insisted. "I would have seen that."

"Who else would leave Charlie alive?'

"I don't know." Alice answered.

"Helpful."

"Stop it, Edward." Bella said very quietly. Everyone has been watching Edward and Alice talk quietly, frozen to the spot, and everyone was feeling more and more stressed as the arguing continued but Edward finally relaxed.

"You're right, Bella. I'm sorry. Forgive me, Alice. I shouldn't be taking this out on you. That was inexcusable."

"I understand, Edward. I'm not happy about it, either." She assured him.

"Ok, let's look at this logically. What are the possibilities?"

Everyone but Rosalie seemed to relax now, the tension rolling off of them as they tried to think of who could have broken into Bella's room. Danielle looked and saw that even Jasper seemed to be pushing aside his argument with her to concentrate as he saw with his hands pressed together and his elbows on his knees. She briefly noticed that Bella had taken a seat on Esme's other side.

"Victoria?" Carlisle offered.

Edward shook his head. "No. I didn't know the scent. He might have been from the Volturi, someone I've never met…"

"Aro hasn't asked anyone to look for her yet. I will see that. I'm waiting for it."

"You're watching for an official command." He said. Alice seemed to catch on to what he was saying.

"You think someone's acting on their own? Why?"

"Caius's idea." Edward suggested.

"Or Jane's….they both the resourced to send an unfamiliar face."

"And the motivation." Edward added.

"It doesn't make sense though." Esme said next to her. "If whoever it was meant to wait for Bella, Alice would have seen that. He – or she – had no intention of hurting Bella. Or Charlie for that matter."

"Do you think it could have been Dominic?" Danielle offered. "He might have followed my scent there thing picked up on everyone else's and gone to Bella's out of curiosity."

Edward shook his head. "No. We all know his scent now."

Danielle heard Esme whisper a few words of comfort to her as the conversation went on around her. She didn't really understand why Rosalie suddenly let out a big sigh of relief but jumped a moment later when Emmett burst through the door. She hadn't even noticed he was gone.

"Long gone, hours ago." He said. "The trail went east, the south, and disappeared on a side roar. Had a car waiting."

"That's bad luck." Edward muttered. "If he'd gone west…well, it would be for the dogs to make themselves useful." Danielle cringed and refused to look at Jasper, though she knew his eyes had immediately flashed over to where she was sitting.

Emmett now turned to Carlisle. "I didn't recognize him. But here." He said handing something to Carlisle. Danielle watch Carlisle lifted it to his face. "Maybe you know the scent."

"No. Not familiar. No one I've ever met."

"Perhaps we're looking at this the wrong way. Maybe it's a coincidence…" But she stopped when everyone looked at her incredulously. "I don't mean a coincidence that a stranger happened to pick Bella's house to visit at random." She clarified. "I meant that maybe someone was just curious. Our scent is all around her. Was he wondering what draws us there?"

"Why wouldn't he just come here then? If he was curious?"

"You would," she said smiling at Emmett fondly. "The rest of us aren't always so direct. Our family is very large – he or she might be frightened. But Charlie wasn't harmed. This doesn't have to be an enemy."

Everyone thought about her words for a moment, let them sink in. Danielle didn't agree with Esme's take on the situation at all. Apparently, neither did Alice.

"I don't think so, she said. The timing of it was too perfect…This visitor was so careful to make no contact. Almost like he or she knew that I would see…"

"He could have other reasons for not making contact." Esme reminded.

"Does it really matter who it was?" Bella finally asked. "Just the chance that someone _was _looking for me…isn't that reason enough? We shouldn't wait for graduation."

Danielle figured the conversation about the visitor was over as the others started to convince Bella that was too rash of a decision and she looked over at Jasper. He was speaking quietly with Emmett, a relieved look on his face as they spoke. When he turned to look at her his face hardened slightly and Danielle sighed before leaving the room quickly.

--

It was the longest argument she and Jasper had ever had. Nearly three days had passed since he'd returned back from his hunting trip and they probably hadn't spoken more than a handful of words to each other. She was ignoring him for being unreasonable and he was ignoring her…well, she wasn't sure _why_. Maybe it was because she was ignoring him because she figured if anyone should be mad it should be her. He was the one trying to tell who she could and could not be friends with.

Ok, so maybe she was being a bit stubborn…but he had started it.

Bella had gone to the La Push bonfire the night before and Danielle had almost gone just to spite Jasper, but figured it would only make things worse. She'd felt bad because according to Jacob, Seth had taken a liking to her and wanted her to be there so they could hang out. Danielle had simply resigned to staying home and sending word with Bella to Seth that she was sorry she couldn't make it.

Danielle and Esme were cleaning up the house together as everyone else went about their daily business when Esme turned to her curiously.

"I heard an interesting conversation yesterday between Carlisle and Jasper." She said, pausing in her dusting of one of the many bookcases.

"Oh yeah?"

"Yes. Jasper was asking Carlisle if the two of you would be able to conceive a child."

Danielle nearly dropped her broom and turned to Esme in shock. "Jasper is talking to Carlisle about it?" She asked quickly.

Esme nodded with a smile. "I didn't know you two were thinking about it."

"We've only discussed it once." Danielle admitted.

"What do you think your decision is going to be?" Esme asked curiously. "I don't care either way." She added. "And I'm sure the others wouldn't either. But that is a very big…step. And considering the circumstances I would think it could be highly dangerous."

"Believe me when I say I've considered all those things." Danielle said as she sighed. "And I think that if Jasper and I were together under normal circumstances, you know, human and human, I would have thrown my birth control away a long time ago."

Esme smiled. "So you've decided against it?"

Danielle nodded. "I want to spend my eternity with just Jasper…even if he is being a jerk right now."

Esme laughed gently. "He can be so stubborn sometimes, especially when it comes to someone he cares for. I've never seen him as overbearingly protective as he became when you two became involved."

"Yeah, sorry about the whole being a human thing." Danielle said with a grimace. "I'm sure I'm stressing Jasper with my morality enough to where it's driving you all insane."

Esme waved her off. "Nonsense. We understand his concern…plus you make Jasper happy. We wouldn't have cared if you had gills and two left feet."

Danielle laughed. "Something tells me that would have just given more incentive to Emmett to make my life a living hell."

Esme smiled gently and they finished their task of cleaning the house in silence. It was late afternoon now and Danielle thirstily gulped down some lemonade.

"How can you drink that stuff?" Emmett asked with a grossed out look.

"I love it. I mean, it's not B+ or anything…" She trailed off and Emmett glared at her playfully.

"Funny. You're a regular standup comedian."

"I do try." She said before leaving the room to go take a shower. She felt positively filthy and needed to get cleaned up.

Her progress was halted though when Jasper came down the stairs at the same time she did. They'd been avoiding each other pretty well, not even staying in the same room at night.

"Excuse me." She said as she brushed past him. She heard him sigh then felt his cold hand grasp her wrist firmly, making her stop on her way up the stairs.

"Ok, enough of this. This is getting ridiculous." Jasper said.

Danielle stared down at him from her place a few steps above him and crossed her arms. "Then do you admit that you overreacted about me visiting Seth?"

Jasper closed his eyes for a second then looked back up at her skeptically. "To an extent, yes."

"What do you mean, to an extent?" She asked with a quirked eyebrow.

"I mean in the way that I'm upset you left the house without saying anything to anybody when Dominic is still out there somewhere. That's the extent I mean." Jasper said quietly. "I'm constantly worried about you, darlin'. Until you're a vampire, other vampires will see us together and be intrigued by us. There will always be another Dominic and it scares me to death. I need you to promise me that you'll be more careful." Jasper said, his eyes pleading with her.

Danielle felt her anger melt away and moved her hand to hold his, squeezing it tightly. "I promise." Jasper flashed her a big grin.

"And what about my friendship with Seth?"

Jasper pressed his lips together now before sighing heavily. "I _suppose_…if Edward can do it, I can, too." He admitted quietly.

Danielle smiled at how much it seemed to pain him to give in and moved down a step to wrap her arms around his neck. "If you really don't want me to talk to Seth then I won't." She said as she twirled a few golden locks between her fingers. "I can see it bothers you. Just give me the word."

Jasper looked extremely tempted to do just that but shook his head. "No, you're right about the fact that we need to try to work past our differences, especially when there seems to be _another _vampire in town now. Just…don't make it a habit to go out there, alright? He may be better then the other wolves but I still don't trust them all that much." Jasper said.

Danielle smiled and nodded. "I _promise _I won't make a habit out of it. Though I do need to send him a fruit basket or something for skipping out on the bonfire last night."

Jasper smiled and rubbed a hand up and down her back as he joined her on her step and hugged her tightly. "Thank you for not going, though. I would have been upset if you had gone while we were still fighting."

"Which by the way, I don't ever want to fight with you for this long again." Danielle said.

Jasper nodded and leaned down to kiss her until her knee caps had turned into jelly. When he pulled away she smiled up at him dreamily for a few moments before her conversation with Esme popped back into her head.

"I hear you've been talking to Carlisle about us…" She said.

Jasper shrugged and kissed her forehead. "I figured I'd do a little bit of research."

Danielle reached up and kissed is lips again. "I appreciate the thought but…I've decided I don't want to try."

Jasper looked a bit surprised. "You don't?"

"No." She said with a smile. "When I turn…it's going to be _our _eternity. I want it to be just you and me."

Jasper smiled and leaned down to nuzzle her neck a bit. "I like the sound of that. Just us for all eternity."

"Are _you _ok with no trying?" Danielle asked unsurely.

Jasper lifted his head and kissed her with a grin. "Completely selfish being, remember?"

Danielle laughed and hugged him tighter. "Oh, yes…it's all coming back to me now." She paused then grinned. "Besides if we want to have a kid we can just get a dog…" Jasper rolled his eyes. "Or we could just kidnap Seth."

"Don't push it." He growled playfully making her laugh.

"Ok, let me go now. It's shower time for the human."

Jasper growled and kissed her hungrily, making Danielle forget what she had been about to do as she held onto him tightly. They only broke apart when Emmett shoved past them, knocking them into the wall in the process, and rolled his eyes at them.

"I'm throwing a party as soon as you two move back into your _own _house. I can't stand this lovey-dovey nonsense anymore!" He said in annoyance.

"Consider it payback!" Jasper said with a laugh.

The only response was Emmett opening his door and making a rude gesture at them.

--

**A/N: Don't worry…I never had **_**any **_**intentions of Danielle and Jasper making little Hales! I just figured that being a newly married couple people would ask about it and of course they would talk about it, too. I was just trying to be realistic. Scared you didn't I? Muaha! Review!**


	14. Chapter 14

**A/N: Yay, a new reader! Welcome!**

**Here's the next chapter! It's starting to get intense!**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing related to the Twilight series!**

**--**

Danielle was finally glad to be distracted from all the problems surrounding the Cullens that threatened to basically demolish their otherwise happy existence. Alice had decided to throw a graduation party for the upcoming weekend and Danielle had no problem with helping her to plan it. Bella of course was not looking forward to it all but they would get her to that party if Danielle had to hog tie her and drag her inside.

She'd gone to La Push twice to visit Seth and found that each time she visited the fifteen year old she found herself growing more and more fond of him. Their personalities had clicked so effortlessly that it had taken then both by surprise. In a way he'd become like a younger brother to her and even though she knew he would be able take care of himself she felt a strong need to protect him.

Yet her visits with Seth and helping Alice certainly wouldn't erase the looming danger that hung around them. The situation in Seattle had gotten even worse to the point where the Cullens were becoming increasingly worried about it.

"I'm not so sure that this problem in Seattle has no affect on us anymore." Carlisle had sighed as he read a paper one morning. Danielle, who was the only one around at the time, looked at him with concern. It didn't make her feel better if Carlisle of all people was worried.

"What do you mean?"

Carlisle had frowned. "Whoever is letting these killings take place obviously has no control over what they've created. Every day that this problem isn't put to a stop puts others like our kind in danger."

"Because you'll be exposed." Danielle stated.

"Yes." Carlisle said with a grave nod. "Since it's so close to our home I feel we may need to go investigate what is happening ourselves."

Danielle's eyes had become worried then. "But, Carlisle…are you sure that's safe? What if things are more out of hand then we thought?"

Carlisle had smiled reassuringly and put an ice cold hand on hers. "Don't worry, Danielle. We know how to take care of ourselves."

Danielle was really getting tired of hearing that. She could hear the family talking about the growing issue in Seattle every day and anytime she would look worried, someone would repeat those exact words. But what if they couldn't? What if there was more than one vampire in Seattle? She wouldn't be able to handle them going away to fight. The thought of losing any of them made her heart ache.

And Dominic and Victoria certainly hadn't left their minds either, though Danielle could tell Alice was about ready to rip her hair out with how frustrating it was to her that she couldn't catch any decent glimpses of the future.

Danielle hugged Jasper tighter as he read today's newspaper and laid her cheek against his back. He had been sitting on the sofa, switching back and forth between reading the newspaper and watching the news, when she slid in behind him to hug him from behind.

"What's wrong?" He asked quietly.

"I'm just thinking about all this stuff going on in Seattle."

Jasper put a hand on her thigh and squeezed it reassuringly. "It'll be fine. It's just a newborn who is being careless."

Danielle lifted her head and rested her chin on his shoulder. "I don't think it is, Jasper." She said softly. Carlisle and Esme weren't far from them but they seemed engrossed on the news.

"What do you mean?" Jasper asked.

"I have another gut feeling…and usually those are pretty dead on. I have a feeling it's something bigger than just some newborn." Danielle said even quieter, knowing Jasper would hear her perfectly. He twisted his body around to look at her then stood and grabbed her hand, pulling her into the kitchen. No one paid them any mind.

"You remember what I told you about the armies in the south?" Jasper asked very quietly. Danielle nodded. "Well, everything that that's been going in Seattle points to just that."

"An army?" Daniele asked in surprise.

Jasper nodded, his eyes darting around. "I haven't told the others because I'm not sure yet and I didn't want anyone to worry needlessly…but it's what my instinct has been telling me."

Danielle took that in for a moment before looking back up at him. "That doesn't make any sense though. You said there wasn't any war in the north."

"There wasn't. But now…I'm not so sure." Jasper said with a slightly worried look.

"What are you two whispering about?" Emmett asked as he strode in, looking like he didn't have a care in the world.

"Nothing." Jasper said. He shot her a quick look then that clearly said their conversation should remain between them for now. Then he kissed her cheek and announced that he was going to go and continue to watch the news.

"I don't know about you, but I'll be pretty happy when all the _annoying _vampires are done away with." Emmett said casually as he leaned back against the counter.

Danielle smiled at her favorite brother in law and copied his casual pose. "I will be, too. Trust me."

"How's the party coming along?"

Danielle shrugged. "Good. Alice is doing most of the work."

Emmett laughed. "I figured as much." Then he regarded her with interest. "I hear you've been hanging out with one of the dogs."

Danielle smiled. "His name is _Seth_. He's actually a pretty decent kid. You should try getting to know him, I think you'd be pleasantly surprised."

"He's not the big gray one, is he?" He asked with a sour look on his face.

Danielle frowned. "Actually… I don't know. I've never seen him in wolf form."

They both looked towards the entry way of the kitchen when the front door opened and closed. No one usually left the house anymore and it was late enough in the morning that Edward had already left for school. They shared a curious look then stepped out to see who had arrived.

"Hey, Edward." Emmett said with a grin. "Ditching, Bella?"

"We both are." Edward reminded him.

Emmett smirked and let a little chuckle escape his lips. "Yes but it's _her _first time through high school. She might miss something." He said. Danielle didn't miss the little jab at Edward's insistence of Bella not missing out on any human experiences and she nudged Emmett as Edward rolled his eye. Emmett made an innocent face.

Danielle took her place next to Jasper as Edward held up a newspaper, directing his question towards Carlisle. "Did you see that they're considering a serial killer now?"

At the same time Jasper held their own copy of the paper up for Edward to see Carlisle sighed. "They've had two specialists debating that possibility on CNN all morning."

Edward looked determined. "We can't let this go on."

"Let's go now." Emmett said with enthusiasm. "I'm dead bored."

"Emmett…" Danielle said with a sigh at the same time a hiss sounded from upstairs.

"Pessimists." Emmett muttered. Danielle bit back a grin. She half expected him to stop his foot next and pout.

"We'll have to go sometime." Edward said.

Rosalie joined them as Carlisle shook his head. "I'm concerned. We've never involved ourselves in this kind of thing before. It's not our business. We aren't the Volturi."

"I don't want the Volturi to have to come here." Edward said. "It gives us so much less reaction time."

"And all those innocent humans in Seattle…it's not right to let them die this way." Esme said softly.

"I know." Carlisle said.

"Oh!" Edward suddenly said sharply, his eyes turning to Jasper. "I didn't think of that. I see. You're right, that has to be it. Well, that changes everything."

Everyone else looked at Edward in confusion, even with slight annoyance, and when Jasper looked down at her she knew that Edward was now aware of what she and Jasper had discussed right before their arrival.

"What is he rambling about?' Alice asked Jasper. She had been perched on the stairway and at some point drifted over to join them. "What are you thinking?"

Jasper hesitated and looked at every one that was now moving in closer to hear what he had to say. Danielle squeezed his hand as he seemed a bit nervous and he finally looked over at Bella. He paused then said, "You're confused."

"We're all confused." Emmett said.

"You can afford the time to be patient." Jasper said to him. "Bella should understand this, too. She's one of us now." Then he turned his face back to Bella. "How much do you know about me, Bella?"

Danielle shot a look at Emmett when he sighed overdramatically and threw himself onto the sofa to wait with exaggerated impatience. He simply shot her an innocent look back.

"Not much." She heard Bella said.

When Jasper looked at Edward, Edward quickly answered Jasper's unspoken question. "No, I'm sure you can understand why I haven't told her that story. But I suppose she needs to hear it now."

Jasper nodded thoughtfully then used his free hand to push up the sleeve of his sweater, his other hand holding Danielle's securely. He released her only so he could hold his wrist underneath the lamp shade near them. It took a second but Bella then made a sound of understanding.

"Oh. Jasper, you have a scar exactly like mine."

Jasper nodded, a faint smile on his lips. Danielle could tell he was vulnerable now and rubbed a hand over his back soothingly. "I have a lot of scars like yours, Bella."

Danielle knew exactly the scars he spoke of. She'd dedicated an entire day on the first honeymoon to locate each scar on his body, trying to count them all. He had so many though that she had eventually lost count. When he had first shown her the scar on his wrist on their way back from Phoenix and told her he had them all over his body, she hadn't thought there would be quite that many.

It had surprised her when she'd first let her lips wander over his neck and felt the raised flesh against her lips. As her hands had explored him she'd felt the raised skin all down his arms, there was even a good number on his chest. There had been more on his legs and back.

It still amazed her that he had seen so much battle, been attacked so many times, and yet he was still here in front of her, still alive…at least to an extent.

Jasper had been wary to let her see the pattern of his scars in the light, thinking it would scare her, but she had assured him that they didn't bother her. That she didn't mind them.

Once she was torn from her thoughts she realized that Jasper had gone into the story of his past and it was the exact same one he'd told her in the car coming back from Phoenix. She sighed and laid her head against his shoulder, letting her eyes wander to the TV but not really paying attention to it. She more so listening to the soothing sound of his voice as he spoke, smiling when his hand found hers and he laced their fingers together.

It wasn't until Edward spoke again sometime later that Danielle snapped out of her daydreaming and lifted her head from Jasper's shoulder.

"Scared the hell out of them, too." Edward said with a roll of his eyes. "Emmett and I were away hunting. Jasper shows up, covered in battle scars, towing this little freak who greets them all by name, knows everything about them, and wants to know which room she can move into."

Both Jasper and Alice laughed and Danielle felt a sudden yearning. She realized that Jasper would be there from the start of her vampire life until the end of it, if it ever came. She only wished she could have been there to see his. Well, the nonviolent part anyway. Quite suddenly Jasper turned his head and kissed her temple. He must have picked up on her emotions.

"When I got home, all my things were in the garage." She heard Edward said.

"Your room had the best view." Alice said simply. Everyone laughed.

"That's a nice story." Bella said. Danielle laughed as Jasper, Alice, and Edward all looked at her like she'd lost her mind and she quickly corrected herself. "I mean, the last part. The happy ending."

"Alice made all the difference. This is a climate I enjoy." Jasper said with a smile.

"An army…" Alice whispered. "Why didn't you tell us?" Alice asked. The others, who had tuned out during Jasper's story since they'd already heard it before, were now paying attention and Jasper looked down at Danielle briefly before looking around at their family.

"I thought I must be interpreting the signs incorrectly. Because where is the motive? Why would someone create an army in Seattle? There is no history there, no vendetta. It makes no sense from a conquest standpoint, either; no one claims it. Nomads pass through, but there's no one to _fight _for it. No one to defend it from." Jasper explained. "But I've seen this before, and there's no other explanation. There is an army of newborn vampires in Seattle. Fewer then twenty, I'd guess. The difficult 

part is that they are totally untrained. Whoever made them just set them loose. It will only get worse, and it won't be much longer till the Volturi step in. Actually, I'm surprised they've let it go on this long."

"What can we do?" Carlisle asked.

"If we want to avoid the Volturi's involvement, we will have to destroy the newborns and we will have to do it very soon." Jasper said, though he didn't look pleased with the thought. Danielle wasn't very happy with it either. "I can teach you how. It won't be easy in the city. The young ones aren't concerned about secrecy, but we will have to be. It will limit us in ways that they are not. Maybe we can lure them out."

"Maybe we won't have to." Edward said quietly. Danielle looked over at him and saw that he looked worried about whatever he was about to say. "Does it occur to anyone else that the only possible threat in the area that would call for the creation of an army is…us?"

Danielle felt as shocked as Carlisle looked. Everyone else had frozen at the statement.

"Tanya's family is also near." Esme said, trying to find a way around what Edward had said.

"The newborns aren't ravaging Anchorage, Esme. I think we have to consider the idea that _we _are the targets."

"That doesn't make any sense." Danielle finally said.

"They're not coming after us." Alice insisted. "Or…they don't know that they are. Not yet."

"What is that? What are you remembering?' Edward asked tensely. Everyone now looked at Alice.

"Flickers." She said. "I can't see a clear picture when I try to see what's going on, nothing concrete. But I've been getting these strange flashes. Not enough to make sense of, though. It's as if someone's changing their mind, moving from one course of action to another so quickly that I can't get a good view…"

"What does that mean?" Danielle asked.

"Is it indecision?" Jasper added.

"I don't know." Alice said.

Edward growled. "It's _knowledge_. Someone who knows you can't see anything until the decision is made. Someone who is hiding from us. Playing with the holes in your vision.

"Who would know that?"

But judging on the stories Alice had told upon returning from Italy, Danielle thought she knew who.

"Aro knows you as well as you know yourself." Edward said and it confirmed the thoughts Danielle had been having.

"But I would see if they decided to come…" Alice said, clearly disconcerted with this new revelation.

"Unless _they _didn't want to get their hands dirty."

"A favor." Rosalie suddenly said. "Someone in the south…someone who already had trouble with the rules. Someone who should have been destroyed is offered a second chance – if they take care of one small problem…that would explain the Volturi's sluggish response."

Danielle listened in horror, not feeling comforted at all by the shocked and worried expression of her in-laws. "Why?" Carlisle asked. "There's no reason for the Volturi…"

"It was there all along." Edward said. "In Aro's head I saw me at his one side and Alice at his other. The present and the future, virtual omniscience. The power of it intoxicated him. I would have thought it would have taken him a longer time to give up on the plan – he wanted it too much. But there was also the thought of you, Carlisle, of our family, growing stronger and larger. The jealousy and the fear: you having…not _more _than he had but still things that he wanted. He tried not to think about it but he couldn't hide it completely. The idea of rooting out the competition was there…besides their own, ours is the largest coven they've ever found…" Edward finished.

Danielle let it sink in, feeling her terror grow with each word. The Volturi, who were supposed to maintain order, wanted the Cullens dead? Wanted to get rid of their competition?

"They're too committed to their mission." Carlisle said. "They would never break the rules themselves. It goes against everything they've worked for."

"They'll clean up afterward. A double betrayal. No harm done."

Jasper tightened his hold on Danielle's hand and shook his head. "No, Carlisle is right. The Volturi do not break rules. Besides, it's much too sloppy. This…person, this threat – they have no idea what they're doing. A first-timer, I'd swear to it. I cannot believe they Volturi are involved, but they will be.

Danielle was only slightly comforted by Jasper's confident words while Emmett loudly said, "Then let's _go. _What are we waiting for?"

"We'll need you to teach us, Jasper. How to destroy them."

As Jasper said, "We're going to need help." Danielle tuned him out. She looked over at Bella and knew they were thinking the same thing. Something was missing, something wasn't quite fitting. There was a huge chunk of the puzzle they needed to find.

She only turned her thoughts back to the situation at hand when Jasper's ran his fingertips over her cheek. Carlisle was talking quickly on the phone. "It'll be ok." He said, though his eyes looked a bit unsure.

"No." Danielle said. "I don't like this plan. It's too dangerous." Jasper wrapped his arms around her and she hugged him tightly. "There's something missing, Jasper. There's another piece of the puzzle we haven't found, I know it!" She said desperately.

"Danielle, calm down." Jasper said as he sent a wave of calm over her. "We have to do this. We can't let this go on."

She felt her heart sink as Carlisle's words reached her ears. "We'll just have to do our best alone."

"What's the problem?" Emmett asked.

"Irina was more involved with Laurent then we knew." Laurent….the name rang in her head and she remember the story Bella had told her about the wolves taking out Laurent. "She's holding a grudge against the wolves for destroying him to save Bella. She wants…"

"Go on." Bella urged and Danielle turned her eyes to him as Jasper did.

"She wants revenge. To take down the pack. They would trade their help for our permission."

"No!" Both Bella and Danielle said at once. "We can't let them!" Danielle said.

"Don't worry." Edward said. "Carlisle would never agree to it. Nor would I. Laurent had it coming…and I still owe the wolves for it."

Jasper looked like he wanted to say something and he must have in his head because Edward nodded in agreement. Jasper then looked down at her with worry. Danielle pulled herself from his grasp and walked out of the room quickly.

This couldn't be happening.

Jasper had caught up to her in a second and his arms were wrapped around her from behind as her buried his face into her hair. She hadn't even realized she'd been crying. She turned quickly and clung to him like her life depended on him…because, well, it did.

"I can't lose you, Jazz. I won't survive without you." Danielle sobbed. "I can't lose _any _of you."

Jasper's arms were tight around her as he tried to comfort her, his lips kissing her face over and over. "We can do this. I'm a good fighter and a good teacher. I'll be able to help the others defend themselves even better then they already can." He said reassuringly.

Danielle shook her head. "There's something else behind this, I know it." She said. "I can _feel _it."

Jasper rubbed her cheek gently and kissed her even more gently. "Darlin', I promise you. Everything will work out. We'll find a way."

Danielle didn't feel comforted at all but sagged against him in defeat. Jasper kissed her again and lifted her into his arms to carry her upstairs to the bedroom. As soon as he laid her down and took his spot next to her Danielle curled herself around him, trying her to get as close as she could.

"I love you. I love you so much." She whispered.

"I love you, too." Jasper said, his lips finding her temple. "We'll figure it out. I promise. It'll work out."

But she could hear the carefully disguised panic in his voice and moved closer. She knew there was something else and she was going to try as hard as she could to figure it out.

--

**A/N: SNAP. Review!**


	15. Chapter 15

**A/N: So I had every intention of taking the **_**entire **_**day off from writing just to clear my head and kind of get focused because I've definitely noticed, as well, that I've rushed through this a bit. I've kind of been running out of ideas that could help lead up to the big idea I already have...if that makes sense. **

**BUT I just so happened to watch one movie with one of the leads being named Jasper, has another character wearing a Cornell sweater, and **_**another **_**character talking about her brother Emmett. Weird, right? Then I watched another movie after that, which was a vampire movie, and it took place in Alaska and had people fleeing to Washington. It was way too coincidental and when I get signs like that, I roll with it. So here I am! **

**ANYWAY, I hope I haven't disappointed anyone **_**too **_**terribly with my hastiness but I promise, it will get better now. I'm really going to take my time. **

**Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing related to the Twilight series!**

**--**

Danielle peeked around another tree as the sounds of snarling and growling, even howls of pain, reached her ears. She didn't know where to go. The battle was everywhere. It seemed like every corner she turned, she saw one of her friends fighting. A female cry ripped through the air, accompanied with a retched snarl, and she winced.

"Danielle! We have to go!" A voice cried. She looked to her left and saw Seth standing there, holding out a hand to her.

"No!" Danielle said. She couldn't leave Jasper. She knew he was in trouble.

"It isn't safe! I have to get you out of here! I promised!" Seth said even more impatiently as he began striding towards her. Another cry of pain reached her ears, this time male, and she winced even more violently.

Seth finally strode over and pulled her around to rest on his back, much like she always had when she and Jasper would run through the woods. He began running away from the sounds, Danielle wailing and protesting the whole time, when he came to an abrupt halt.

They were surrounded.

"Oh, Danielle." A voice said in a sing-song manner. It was the strangest voice she'd ever heard, almost sounding like it was alternating between a man's voice and woman's, and it was also the most terrifying. "I think your time has finally come."

Danielle looked over Seth's shoulder and saw dozens of shadowed figured standing in front of them. She heard movement behind her and when she turned her head she saw a dozen more filing in behind them. Panic ripped through her. Where were the others? Had they all died? Was she next?

Then the figures surrounding them ran forward, each snarling and growling as she screamed and clang tighter to Seth.

Danielle sat up with a jolt, her eyes wild. She was breathing heavily and she could feel a thin layer of sweat on her forehead. Very slowly the space around her came into focus and she began to realize that she was not in the woods with Seth after all, but alone in Jasper's bedroom.

Then she frowned and looked down at the empty space on the bed next to her. Why wasn't Jasper with her? After her slight emotional break down the night before, she would have thought he would know she didn't want him to leave her side. Her eyes then turned to the clock and saw that it was only six in the morning.

Knowing she wouldn't get back to sleep, and fearing that if she did she'd go back into the dream, she kicked the tangled covers off of her and headed for the bathroom to take a long cool shower. If her nights were going to be restless and filled with nightmares, she certainly was in for a hell of a time. She sighed as she stepped under the cool water and let it wash away the panic induced sweat. Try as she might, Danielle couldn't stop her brain running a mile a minute as all her thoughts and fears on the situation at hand refused to be ignored, not even when Jasper's voice reached her ears as she went downstairs forty five minutes later.

"We're going to need help, Carlisle…from somewhere. _Anywhere _." Jasper said and she could hear the worry he'd hidden from her lacing his voice. She paused outside the doorway to listen in.

"I know it could help, Jasper, but you have to be confident that we can win without help if we need to." Carlisle said in a calm voice.

Jasper sighed. "I know we can win, we're definitely more skilled then they will be, but I fear it will come at a cost." Jasper paused. "I fear there willbe casualties." He said softly.

Danielle tried to push the lump down in her throat as the word 'casualties' began echoing in her head. That was exactly what she'd feared, too. That someone in the family would get hurt. That someone in the family might die.

She jumped a mile in the air when Alice appeared next to her with a smile. "You're up early." She said.

Danielle put a hand over her pounding heart and steadied her breathing. "Couldn't sleep." She said, looking guiltily over at the doorway, expecting Jasper or Carlisle to come see if she'd been eavesdropping at any moment.

"Well, since we've got a bit of a head start, let's take a last peak at the design plans then head over to Port Angeles and pick up some decorations for the party." Alice said with a bright smile. Danielle looked at her in shock. She didn't see how Alice could _possibly _be in a good mood right now, especially with their impending doom looming in the near future.

"What?" Danielle finally asked, completely stunned.

"You know…the graduation party?" Alice said slowly, as if talking to a child. "You _do _remember that it's this weekend right?"

Danielle gaped at her. "And you _do _remember that the Volturi have sent an army to kill all of us, right?" She asked incredulously. "Don't you think you should be planning an attack that would ensure your survival rather then a party?"

Alice looked grim now. "It's not like we're going to go off to Seattle and attack right after graduation. It's an important event that needs a party. And why not celebrate the good times while we're waiting around?"

Danielle didn't really like the wording of that question but let it drop.

"Don't you have school?" Danielle asked. Alice just waved her off.

"Been there, done that. I can afford to miss another day." She said, her smile returning. Maybe getting away would help a bit, let her clear her mind. Let her pretend that there _wasn't _a possibly that she could be a widow at the ripe age of nineteen.

"Ok."

Alice brightened immediately and grabbed her hand to pull her into the kitchen. Jasper and Carlisle seemed like they were trying to look casual as they greeted them but Danielle could see the questioning look in Jasper's eyes as she took a seat next to him.

"Sorry I wasn't there when you woke up." Jasper said softly as he wrapped his arm around her shoulders. "I didn't expect you to wake for at least a few more hours."

"It's fine." Danielle said.

Jasper nodded and Danielle smile as his lips brushed against her temple while Alice plopped down with a stack of papers in her hand.

"So, I think we should do some lighting outside, you know, like leading up to the house. That would make a great little entrance. Don't you think?" Even Jasper couldn't hold back his smile as Alice took off with the plans for her decorating ideas and Danielle just sighed, throwing in a few comments here or there.

"Nothing rains on your party, does it?" Jasper asked eventually.

After two grueling hours of figuring out exactly what decorations Alice wanted and where they would be placed, Alice turned to Jasper with a big grin. Jasper immediately looked up from the morning paper with suspicious eyes. He'd been quite the whole time, just wanting to be in Danielle's company, and not offering any advice. "What?" He asked unsurely.

"May I steal Danielle for a while to go purchase the decorations?" She asked sweetly.

Jasper frowned at the same time Danielle did. "Why can't Jasper come?" Danielle asked.

Alice frowned now. "I wanted it to be a girl's day out type of thing. I _never _get to see you on just your own anymore." She practically pouted.

Danielle looked up at Jasper, not really liking the fact that she would be leaving his side but knowing she would lose the battle with Alice. "Is that alright? We'll only be gone a few hours."

Jasper seemed to debate it for a moment before nodding. "Yeah, sure, I guess." He sighed.

Alice cheered and was gone from the kitchen in an instant. Carlisle had escaped the party talk a long time ago so she and Jasper were alone now. Danielle wasn't surprised to see Jasper fold the paper, set it down, the turn his body towards hers.

"So what did you hear this morning?"

Danielle sighed. "Just that you're way more worried then you let on last night."

Jasper kissed her forehead and grabbed her hand to hold it. "You were getting a bit panicky, I didn't want to make it worse."

"I also heard the word 'casualties'. As you can imagine, that word doesn't sit well with me in the slightest."

Jasper rubbed his hand over her cheek as he took in her worried expression. "We don't know that there will be, darlin', but we can't be sure. Things could get out of control with us being that outnumbered." Jasper admitted.

Danielle nodded with a deep frown. "I figured...I was just hoping no one else would say it."

Jasper gave her a slight smile. "Tanya and her family are not our only allies, though. Carlisle and I are going to try to track down some old friends and see if they'd be interested in fighting."

"You're going to leave?" Danielle asked suddenly.

"No, no. We _do _have phones and we _do _know more vampires then just ourselves." Jasper said with a grin. Danielle nodded, feeling a bit stupid.

"Are we going or what?" Alice demanded as she ran back into the room. Her stance clearly screamed impatience.

"Yeah, yeah." Danielle said as she stood. Jasper stood with her and walked with them to the garage.

"We won't be gone too long." Alice promised him.

Jasper nodded as he followed Danielle to the passenger side of the yellow Porsche. When she turned to say goodbye he grabbed her firmly around her back of her neck and pressed his lips against hers. She sighed when he tilted his head for better access and while she felt the familiar jolt his touch sent 

through her, another feeling was accompanied with it. Sadness. Sadness that there was a possibility something could go wrong and she wouldn't have this anymore.

Fueled by that thought she wrapped her arms around his neck tightly and kissed him back urgently. Jasper froze for just the tiniest second in surprise then she felt a different kind of urgency coming off of him as he kissed her back just a fervently. She felt him trying to convey to her that her feelings were wrong and she held him tighter. They broke away when Alice cleared her throat.

"It'll be fine." Jasper whispered.

Danielle just nodded and let Jasper open the door to push her down into the seat. "I love you." She said, grabbing his hand to kiss it quickly. Jasper grinned and leaned down to press his lips against hers for a moment.

"I love you, too."

"Ok, no more of that. We have shopping to do." Alice reminded, even reaching over to push Jasper away a little bit. Jasper and Danielle just smiled at each other as Alice backed out of the garage and zoomed off away from the Cullen house.

--

Danielle couldn't remember the last time she had ridden in a car with just Alice and was caught off guard when they started their journey to Port Angeles and Alice cranked up the music so loudly that Danielle didn't even want to _try_ to hold conversation. They drove, as all the Cullens did, at an ungodly speed that seemed even faster since they were in the Porsche and reached Port Angeles very, very quickly.

Alice smiled smugly as they parked outside of their first destination and a few onlookers ogled at her car then they entered the garden themed store.

"What are we going to find here?" Danielle asked as they walked amongst the shelves.

"Lights, of course." Alice said with a smile.

Danielle looked at her skeptically and shoved her hands into the pockets of her jeans. "What kind of lights would we find at a garden store?"

Alice rolled her eyes. "Garden stores _always _have sparkling Christmas lights on sale. Didn't you know that?"

Danielle just laughed as Alice grabbed an abandoned cart while they navigated through the store easily. She didn't seem to notice the many people that ogled her as she walked by. "How do you handle the _staring_?" Danielle asked. "I've never understood that."

Alice just shrugged. "I guess I'm used to it now. You're going to have to get used to it, too." She said with a grin.

Danielle sighed. "Considering everyone makes it out alright." She muttered.

Alice just ignored the comment as they reached a huge shelf full of twinkling lights and she smiled in triumph. "Told you."

"You probably checked." Danielle laughed as they began piling the basket with lights.

"I probably did." She frowned as the cart filled. "You might want to go get another cart."

After they had two carts full of twinkling lights for the party and they were all paid for and dropped off at the Porsche, they headed on foot to a party shop.

"I think everything will be fine." Alice finally said.

Danielle gave her a frustrated look. "I'm tired of everyone saying that. Am I the only one looking at this realistically?"

Alice looped her arm through hers and smiled softly. "No, you're not. We're not taking this lightly trust me." She paused. "And I have seen a few things for the future, things I haven't told my overprotective brothers." She admitted.

"What things exactly? And why didn't you tell them?" Danielle asked in curiosity, her hope flaring a bit.

"For one, I've been able to see you becoming a vampire since you and Jasper met and that still hasn't changed, nor has Bella's becoming a vampire." Danielle breathed a little easier at hearing that. "And, well…I saw another vampire coming."

Danielle's jaw dropped. "What? _Another _one? This is getting ridiculous!"

Alice smiled and patted her arm. "No, not in that way. It's a vampire that I will meet. I'm not sure why he'll be coming into my life yet but I figure it will be something big."

Danielle smiled down at her. "You're going to find someone?" She asked in excitement.

Alice shrugged. "I'm not one hundred percent sure on that yet. I don't even know when he's coming or what he really even looks like yet. All I know is he and I will meet and he might stick around for a bit."

Danielle couldn't help but free her arm and hug the much smaller girl. "I'm still happy to hear that, Alice! It makes me sad to see you alone."

Alice just laughed and pushed her away playfully. "Please. I'm way too busy to be lonely." Danielle had a feeling Alice was stretching the truth a bit as they entered the store. "But now you can see why I didn't tell Jasper and Edward, right? I didn't want them to think I was slacking off on my keeping watch."

Danielle nodded and watched as Alice picked up a few spinning, multicolored globes. "Yeah, I understand. Which, speaking of…"

Alice sighed. "I still can't grasp onto anything firmly. Not even for Dominic. This is driving me absolutely insane." She admitted with a growl as she handed the globes to Danielle. They walked to the next section where Alice picked through a few strobe lights.

"Yeah, it sucks being friends with humans sometimes, right?" Danielle asked with a smile. Alice couldn't help but laugh a bit.

"I don't mind so much. After all, it's the most that's ever gone on in our family."

Danielle looked at her pointedly. "You're insane if this is the form of entertainment you're looking for."

Alice shook her head. "Never."

Danielle let Alice's little revelation about not being able to see Dominic very well anymore sink in as they went to the counter to pay for their items. She couldn't see what he was deciding either? That was odd considering he'd been pretty set on _how _he wanted to kill her and under what circumstances. As they left the store and headed yet again to the Porsche, she had a nagging feeling that there was something meaningful behind it.

"Ok, just a few more stops and then we're good, I think." Alice said, grabbing her hand and pulling her towards a music store. The only they'd picked up from there was three large speakers and stands for them. The Cullens had already acquired a very eclectic span of music over the years so there was no need to rifle through the selection in the store.

After they dropped the stereos off, Danielle wondering how all of that fit into the Porsche and laughing at Alice when she tried to look like she was struggling with the weight of the speakers, Alice grabbed her hand again and led her to a clothing store.

"Oh, no. Clothes? We'll be here for _hours _." Danielle said with a laugh.

Alice just rubbed her hands together in excitement before shoving her into the fashionable looking store. Danielle was immediately loaded down with clothes faster then she could even blink and shoved towards a dressing room.

"Why am _I _getting a new outfit? It's not my party!" Danielle said as she picked through the flashy clothes. None of this was really her style but Alice always had always been persistent on trying to get her into the latest fashion trends.

"Because it's still a party! Don't you want to look nice?"

"Well, yeah…but –"

"No buts. Try them on."

Danielle finally located just a nice silky navy blue shirt that didn't reveal nearly as much of her skin as the other shirts did and decided to go with that one. She paired up a nice pair of black pants with it then stepped out for Alice to inspect her.

"Too modest. Don't you want to make Jasper drool?" Alice asked with her hands on her hips.

"Considering the situation we're in right now, it hadn't really entered my thoughts." Danielle said with a weird look towards Alice.

Alice scoffed. "Considering the situation we're in right now, I would think it'd be the only thing in your thoughts. Lose the pants." She ordered.

Danielle rolled her eyes and entered the dressing room again, putting on an almost dangerously short black skirt. She was tugging at it a bit awkwardly when Alice suddenly said, "There you go. I think that's a keeper." Danielle had to roll her eyes again.

She stopped short when a lacy and _very _risqué looking lingerie set dropped over the door and she looked at it with a blush. Danielle could hear Alice snickering on the other side. "I certainly hope you haven't been snooping into _that _part of mine and Jasper's future." Danielle hissed as her cheeks turned scarlet. "Because that would be extremely _weird._"

Alice laughed again. "Just get it. Live a little bit!"

Danielle looked at it for a moment then changed back into her regular clothes, stuffing the lingerie in with the outfit she was going to buy discreetly.

Alice then picked out her outfit, as well as one for Bella, and Danielle hurried her along to pay for it. She knew Alice would very easily get carried away and Danielle was tired of being away from Jasper. She tried to hide the lingerie from the vampire but Alice was smirking knowingly the whole time. Danielle just made a gross look at her making Alice hold her hands up in defense. "I swear, I didn't look."

Once they were headed back to the Porsche, Danielle sighed. "As soon as this is all over, Jasper better take me back to Ireland."

Alice smiled. "Nix the Dominic part, right?"

"Yeah. I wouldn't even mind going back to Houston, though that might attract even _more _vampires knowing my luck." She said, disgruntled. Then a thought struck her.

Dominic hadn't made his presence known in Ithaca until they'd been there for nearly two months. Maybe he _had _just arrived in Ithaca right around the time he broke into their house. Maybe he had gone somewhere else first.

"What do you think the chances are that in those two months that Jasper and I came to Ithaca that Dominic went to Houston?" Danielle asked.

Alice frowned. "I'd say pretty slim…I mean, how would he know?"

"Dominic told us he had been watching us and he made his first appearance not long after we talked on the phone. He could have heard me say that Jasper and I went to Houston and went there to investigate us."

"Why would he investigate you though if he already knew you were in Ithaca?" Alice asked. "That wouldn't make any sense."

"He had to have found out _something _about the family. After all, he appeared in Forks out of nowhere."

Alice frowned again. "True."

"And he saw Emmett and Rosalie, too. It would have been obvious to anyone that they rolled with Jasper, so to speak. Maybe he got curious to see if there were more." Danielle said, her thoughts running a mile a minute. "To get an idea of what he was dealing with."

Alice looked a bit skeptical. "It's possible, I suppose."

"What if while he was in Houston, he met up with Victoria?" Danielle asked loudly. "What if they're working together?"

Alice shook her head. "No, no. That's extremely unlikely. We all know his scent now, we would have caught it near hers at _some _point. And I've been able to see Victoria's thoughts at least a little bit clearer then Dominic's." She shook her head again. "No, I don't think that's it."

Danielle sighed in frustration as they got in the car. It made sense to her. Dominic had gotten curious about the vampire family she was married in to and had done some research to figure out where they were from. He'd overheard her say they'd been in Houston and had gone to Houston, too. And there, he'd met up with Victoria who had a common goal and they'd decided to work together. It made too much sense to ignore.

"Alice…" Danielle said, looking over at her. "It makes sense."

Alice sighed. "Let's not jump to conclusions about this. "Let's wait until we get home and then we can sit down and run it past Carlisle alright?"

Danielle nodded with a resigned sigh and turned to look out the window as they sped back to Forks.

--

**A/N: This was by far one of the better transitional chapters I've written. Is it better? I'm a lot more comfortable with this pace now. Review!**


	16. Chapter 16

**A/N: Wow, has it been three days? I feel bad! Haha, I got very distracted this weekend because my friend came into town and then I watched football and went out with friends and stuff. But I've been writing this over the past few days, I could just never finish it because I'd get too tired to keep writing or get distracted.**

**And here are two complaints: One, the Houston, Texans got spanked today by the Pittsburgh Steelers. Yes, I try to support the Texans but they make it hard sometimes. The only reason why I don't hate Pittsburgh right now is because I'm a rabid fan of the Pittsburgh Penguins, whose season starts in a matter of weeks. BALLER! Second complaint, I have JURY DUTY tomorrow morning. Is that not the dumbest thing you've ever heard? I graduate college early and then immediately get hit with jury duty? Urgh! That makes me so angry. Maybe I'll get lucky and they'll think I'm too young to know anything and then I'll get sent home. Cross your fingers! (Though I keep saying it so I probably jinxed it)**

**Anyway, enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing related to the Twilights series!**

**--**

Danielle huffed as she threw down her bags of clothes in annoyance, making Jasper look over in surprise. She was finally on to something and no one believed her! Though Carlisle hadn't completely pushed her idea into the 'no pile', he had said that it was still highly unlikely and she shouldn't let herself get worked up over it. Huffing again, she plopped down onto the bed.

Jasper was talking quickly on the phone to someone, but she couldn't hear what he was talking about. Finally he clicked the phone shut with a questioning expression and walked over to sit next to her. "Was the shopping trip not all you expected it to be?" He asked with a smirk.

Danielle looked up at him in frustration. "I've think I've finally figured out what's going on and _no one _thinks that's what it is!" She said in exasperation, her hands flailing around. Jasper grabbed her hands to stop her and gave her a curious look.

"Figured out what, darlin'?"

"This whole Dominic nonsense!"

Jasper looked interested now. "Do tell."

"Well it's pretty obvious to me that he overheard me telling Alice that we had gone to Houston so he went too, maybe locating our scents and following it, and just so happened to run into Victoria and now they're working together to try to kill me and Bella!" Danielle said in a rush.

Jasper stared at her for a moment then his eyebrows came together as he mulled over her words.

"Our scents would have still been there, right?" Danielle asked unsurely.

Jasper nodded. "Very, _very _faintly but not impossible to pick up on. We did move around town a lot…"

"And Edward said he tracked Victoria all the way down to Houston. So maybe she picked up on our scent somewhere and followed it too then BAM. They meet and discover they're after the same thing and decide to work together!"

She watched Jasper anxiously as he frowned. "I think that's a definite possibility." He said. "And surely Victoria knew she wouldn't be able to get to you _and _Bella without some help when you two are so heavily guarded."

"Exactly. And they never came near each other here so that we wouldn't figure it out." Danielle said with a triumphant smile. "I figured it all out!"

Jasper nodded. "I think you did. That would explain why he took so long to catch up with us in Ithaca."

Danielle nodded in agreement and hugged him, happy that someone didn't think her idea was insane. "Thank goodness someone finally agrees with me!" She said with a sigh. Jasper just smiled grimly. "So what do we do now?"

"What do you mean what do we do now?" Jasper asked.

"Well, isn't it a bit more of a pressing issue since they're working together? I mean, as long as we're killing off vampires, shouldn't we start with the ones closer to home?" She asked, though there was a tiny hint of sarcasm to it.

Jasper sighed. "I suppose we could take care of it now that way Edward and I wouldn't have to worry about you and Bella when we go to Seattle…Dominic _was_ a little less careful about hiding his scent. We haven't picked up on his _or _Victoria's recently though…" Then he looked up at her with a tiny scowl. "As much as I hate to do this, I think it's time we paid a visit to your friend and see if there is anything new that we haven't been told about."

Danielle nodded and Jasper grabbed her hand and led her out of the room and down the stairs. Emmett was about to come up but stopped and watched them in confusion as they passed him. "Where are you two going?"

"To talk to the dog." Jasper said. Then he paused. "Are you busy?"

Emmett shook his head. "I'm never busy. Why are you going to talk to the dog?"

"His name is _Seth_." Danielle interjected, but both of them ignored her.

Jasper explained Danielle's revelation to him very quickly and Emmett looked at her in surprise before smacking her shoulder with a grin. "Good job, sis." Danielle just rubbed her shoulder and grumbled at him.

"Will you come with us?" Jasper asked.

"Yeah, sure, what else is there to do?"

"Where are you three going?" Carlisle asked as he walked in with a paper in hand.

"Nowhere important." Jasper said quickly. "We won't be gone long."

Carlisle watched them leave suspiciously.

--

Danielle paced up and down their side of the treaty line, her eyes looking over at the La Push side impatiently. Jasper was leaning against the car and was stiff as a board. His eyes, though, were darting all around. Emmett was leaning against a tree casually, completely at ease as usual.

Danielle was surprised when Jasper pulled her back and was suddenly in front of her. Emmett rolled his eyes and pushed himself off the tree to stand next to them, looking only the slightest bit alert.

"Someone is coming." Jasper said, his eyes looking past the treaty line at the patch of trees to the right side of the road.

"Oh, hon. I'm sure it's just Seth. He seems to always know when I'm here." Danielle said in exasperation. But she quickly shut her mouth when a gigantic russet-colored wolf stepped out of the trees. She'd seen Jacob in wolf form before so she knew it was him. That explained why Jasper had become protective all of a sudden.

Though Jasper was now at least semi-approving of her friendship with Seth, probably because the young wolf hadn't killed her or even come close to losing his temper around her, he still didn't care for any of the other wolves. Jasper especially had a strong dislike for Jacob since he'd gotten way too close to Danielle before Bella and Alice took off for Italy.

Jacob's eyes were darting between Jasper and Emmett while Danielle stepped around Jasper slowly. Jasper shot her a quick look but she just held up her hand and squeezed herself in between him and Emmett.

"Jacob, is Seth around? I would like to speak with him." Danielle said pleasantly. She and Jacob hadn't seen much of each other since she'd tried to convince him to talk to Bella over a month and a half ago, but they were at least on friendly terms. That was due majorly in part to their mutual friendship with Bella.

Jacob turned his humongous head to her before trotting back into the woods. He returned a moment later in human form. Danielle frowned.

"Did you call for Seth?" She asked impatiently.

"Yes, I did. Normally you come alone. Is there something going on?" Jacob asked, his arms folded and eyes trained on Jasper and Emmett.

"Sort of. I'd rather talk to Seth though." Danielle said with an apologetic look. "It's no offence or anything. I just feel more comfortable talking to him."

"But you know we're all going to find out anyway." Jacob pointed out.

Danielle sighed and she and Jasper shared a look. "We think Dominic and Victoria are working together." Danielle said.

Jacob looked a bit surprised for a moment. "What makes you think that?"

Danielle quickly explained the situation to him and watched as he considered it. "Only these two agree with me so far."

Jacob rubbed his chin then shrugged. "I guess it's possible. Did you talk to your leader about it?"

"Carlisle didn't say it was impossible but he doesn't think it's very likely either." She said with a huff.

"Have you caught Victoria's scent any time soon?" Emmett asked. Jacob looked at him sharply but Emmett just waited patiently, not looking bothered in the slightest.

"No, not recently. We've been trying to keep our noses open for any new vampires but we haven't caught anything." Jacob explained tensely. Danielle tried not to roll her eyes as she saw his hands tremble a bit.

"I wish I could give –" Danielle started to say, but she was cut off when a gangly sandy-brown wolf jumped out of the trees followed by a brown one. Jasper tensed more and kept his hand on her arm just in case, but Danielle knew that neither party would cross that line unless it was something vital…or unless they _really _wanted to kill each other. Emmett only lifted his chin a bit more and stared at them curiously.

Jacob's expression became very serious at the arrival of his companions and Danielle watched as the sandy-brown wolf looked at the three of them then ran back into the trees. A moment later, Seth came out with a rushed looked.

"Embry and Leah picked up a scent. It's one we haven't caught before." He turned his eyes to the other three now. "Hey, Danielle. We think it's that vamp Dominic you told me about."

Jasper and Emmett both scowled and began looking around.

"Where were they?" Jacob asked.

"About ten minutes south of here." Seth said. The brown wolf behind them growled lowly in its throat as it watched the two vampires.

"Moving where?" Jasper demanded.

"They aren't sure yet, the scent was everywhere." Seth said quickly.

Jasper cursed loudly and pulled Danielle closer as Emmett took on a terrifying expression and turned his whole body to look around them. Danielle locked her arms around Jasper as he cursed again. This was exactly the type of setting Dominic had been waiting for and they'd walked right into it.

"We should have just told the wolves some other way." Jasper muttered. "I might as well have given you to him on a silver platter!"

Danielle turned in surprise when she heard the bushes ruffle not far from where they were standing but when she turned her head she saw Edward looking between them and the wolves. She, Jasper, and Emmett stared at him in confusion.

"Dominic isn't alone. Alice and Carlisle are right behind me." He explained, his eyes darting around. "Alice got worried when she suddenly couldn't see anything in Danielle's future then panicked when she couldn't find any of you. Then Carlisle told us you left and as soon as we decided to come find you she saw Victoria and Dominic trying to attack Danielle." Edward said with a slightly frustrated tone.

Danielle cursed this time and Emmett looked at her in surprise for a moment before looking to the wolves. Both Seth and Jacob had already transformed, obviously sensing the growing urgency in the situation. "Can you try to find Victoria? So we know where she's coming from?" He asked.

Seth took off without question in the opposite direction he'd come and Jacob watched him hesitantly before following him. Danielle was glad that at least Seth wanted to cooperate. The brown one had run back in the direction it had originally come from just as Carlisle and Alice broke through the trees.

"Guess you were right, weren't you?" Alice asked, looking guilty for dismissing Danielle's theory.

"Someone needs to get Danielle out of here." Emmett said. "The car will be fast enough."

"There are too many twists and turns to the house. Dominic could easily cut off the car and get to her." Alice pointed out. "If she was run back to the house it would be a straight shot."

"But if we run they could both ambush whoever has her." Jasper argued. "The car is a better choice."

Jacob and Seth returned, still in wolf form. "She's somewhere north but they couldn't pinpoint where she was going." Edward said as he quickly read their thoughts. Danielle was surprised at how quickly the wolves had moved.

"We need to cooperate this time." Carlisle said, stepping forward. "They expect us to not work together. We'd be more efficient as a team." He reasoned.

Jacob shook his head while Seth whined at his companion. "Jacob is against it, says the treaty needs to be held up. Seth agrees with you." Edward said. "Their leader is coming."

"Screw the treaty for one night!" Jasper said angrily. "We just need some extra protection for her to get back to safety and then we can take them out!"

Danielle gasped as a huge black wolf ran through the trees now, bigger than any of the other wolves she had seen, and she watched him in amazement. He very briefly looked at her and the Cullens before turning to Jacob and Seth.

"They've told Sam your proposal, Carlisle." Edward explained. Danielle didn't miss the look of annoyance that the wolf-version of Jacob sent him. "Seth is trying to convince Sam to let him escort Danielle back to the house."

"This is the only way we can get Victoria and Dominic." Carlisle said firmly. "We saw what happened last time. Let Seth take Danielle back to safety with one of ours and then we can work together to get them."

Sam watched him for a very long moment then looked at Seth. Edward sighed in relief. "He's ordered Seth and Jacob to escort Danielle back to the house, but he's not very happy about it. As soon as she's to safety he wants them coming right back and then the treaty is back in place. We search for Victoria and Dominic separately."

Emmett rolled his eyes while Jasper nodded. Alice looked at the wolves angrily. "Good enough for me." Jasper said. "Alice, will you take her back?"

Danielle looked up at Jasper in annoyance. "Haven't we had multiple conversations about you putting yourself in harm's way?" She asked angrily.

Jasper just leaned down and kissed her hard. "We're the strongest. We can handle it."

Danielle kissed him again for a moment, Jacob and Sam growling at them, before Alice grabbed her and yanked her away from Jasper. "There will be time for that later. Let's get you out of here." Alice said throwing her onto her back.

Danielle turned her head to see Seth and Jacob very slowly and hesitantly cross the treaty line. Once they saw that they were not going to be attacked they moved a bit quicker and flanked Alice on either side. She smiled when Seth bumped his nose against her shoulder.

"Plug your nose." Alice said sarcastically then the four of them took off back to the Cullen house.

--

She didn't know if it worried her or made her feel relieved that Dominic hadn't sprung out of tree to snatch her away from Alice once they arrived back at the Cullen house. The two wolves followed them right up to the door where Rosalie and Esme were waiting. Rosalie hissed in warning but Alice cut her short.

"Don't. Carlisle and the head dog arranged this for now." Alice explained as Danielle dropped from her back. Jacob started heading back and Seth lingered uncertainly, a whine escaping from him.

Danielle turned to him and smiled. "I'll be ok now." She assured him, reaching up to pet the top of his head. He nudged her shoulder again with his nose then turned and took off after Jacob. Danielle watched them until she couldn't see them anymore.

Rosalie looked extremely put off and stormed back into the house leaving the others to follow her in slowly. Danielle wasn't very surprised to see Bella there.

"Kidnapped again?" She asked as she sat down next to her on the couch. Esme took a seat on one of the other sofas and turned on the TV to CNN where they were still talking about the happenings in Seattle.

"He figured it would be safer for me to be here, just in case." Bella said. "What happened?"

"Well, I figured out that Dominic and Victoria are working together and Jasper, Emmett, and I went to go talk to the wolves to see if they'd picked up on anything when the wolves caught Dominic's scent somewhere south of us. Then Edward, Alice, and Carlisle showed up and said they were planning to attack and they got me out of there as soon as they could. Seth and Jacob escorted Alice on the way back."

"What?" Bella asked. "Jacob? And Seth? They're working with us now?"

"No, just for that one thing. I think Seth was going to come whether Sam liked it or not so Sam gave him permission. They're going to have to find Victoria and Dominic separately."

Bella crossed her arms and looked a bit frustrated. "I don't like Edward _or _Jacob being involved or anything but I think it sure would help to make things a lot easier if they worked together for once."

Danielle nodded. "Seth said that Sam is really enforcing the treaty. He doesn't want anything to do with the Cullens."

Bella sighed and silence fell over them as they waited for Carlisle, Emmett, Edward, and Jasper to return. Rosalie came back eventually and joined Esme by the window as they searched for the other four with worry. Alice was sitting on the staircase, her eyes distant and posture stiff, but Danielle knew she wasn't seeing any visions. She figured Alice sure was trying to, though.

Danielle stood and walked over to her. "Alice?"

Alice looked up at her. "Yes?"

"Was it only _my _future you couldn't see?" She asked hesitantly. She knew that every time Bella had gone to see Jacob that Alice had no longer been able to see her future, but Danielle wanted to know if Alice had only drawn a blank for Danielle's future because of the fact that she, Jasper, and Emmett had gone to see the wolves or if it was because of something else.

Alice looked uncertain and didn't speak for a long moment. "Yes."

Danielle nodded stiffly and took a seat next to her. Alice immediately hugged her. "I got very worried. Once you told me about your theory in the car I could see you going to talk to the wolves, well, sort of 

anyway. But then your future just went totally blank and I could still see Jasper's and Emmett's. You can imagine how worried I was." She explained.

Danielle nodded again. "What were theirs?"

Alice looked grim. "You don't want to know."

Danielle decided she didn't want to talk about it and they fell silent as Alice hugged her tightly. Finally, after what seemed like hours, she heard Esme and Rosalie let out a unison sigh of relief. Danielle and Alice both jumped up as the door opened and four very frustrated Cullens came walking in.

"You'd think they don't _want _to catch those two leeches." Jasper growled angrily.

"The leader is just doing what he thinks is best for their people." Edward grumbled.

Jasper walked over and hugged her tightly. Danielle hugged him just as tight.

"Dominic got away again." Carlisle announced. "And Victoria never showed. She must have just been playing the part of a decoy tonight to divide us up."

"And it worked." Emmett said angrily.

"Can we go upstairs?" Danielle asked. She didn't think Jasper knew just how close they'd come to losing each other tonight but she did and she wanted nothing more then to be alone with him at the moment. Jasper nodded and led her up the stairs, the rest of the family not saying a word as they left.

Once they were in the bedroom Danielle wrapped her arms around his neck and rested her cheek against his shoulder. Jasper sighed quietly and wrapped his own arms around her waist. She smiled when his lips kissed her hair.

"I definitely don't feel the need to leave this house anymore, alright?" She said softly.

Jasper nodded and she felt him smile against her temple as his lips rested there next. "That's fine with me."

Danielle nodded and pulled away slowly, deciding against telling Jasper what she'd learned from Alice. There was too much to take care of without him needing to worry about the fact that if their family hadn't shown up, Danielle would have been dead. Instead she walked over to put away her clothes. Jasper followed her and sat on the bed. "What did you get?" He asked, though she could see that he was still thinking about what had just happened.

"Alice forced me to buy a new outfit for the party on Saturday." Danielle said with a smile. "And I got something else…" She trailed off. Jasper's eyebrows rose in question and she shook her head. "You can't know what it is yet."

"Why not?" He asked with a smile, his tension easing very slowly.

"Because it's a surprise." Danielle said before leaning down to peck his lips. Then she grabbed the bag and went into the closet to put them away. When she came back out she joined Jasper to just lie down and try to relax, though the air was still a little heavy around them. The sun was just beginning to set outside. She realized then how risky it had been for all of them to be out in broad daylight like that. It had actually been a little bit careless.

"I'll be happy when this is all over with." Jasper said softly as he kissed her temple. Danielle sighed and snuggled further into him.

"Me too."

--

**A/N: Review!**


	17. Chapter 17

**A/N: Wow. Russell Brand is hilarious. I love how he totally ruined the Twilight casts' presentation at the VMAs, haha. I was definitely laughing. Poor Robert didn't even get to talk. **

**My number didn't get called for jury duty! I got sent home! I was so happy. I made quick friends with a girl close to my age and we spent the entire morning on the edge of our seats but we both made it out. And if you ever got lost in downtown Houston and end up driving down Main St. for an obscene amount of time, look for the Buffalo Speedway. It is your friend. It leads to 610 East, which is also your friend. Trust me on this. **

**Anyway, while I was waiting to get my number called I took Eclipse with me and jotted down lots of notes and stuff! So here's the next chapter.**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing related to the Twilight series.**

**--**

Even though Alice and Danielle had decided that Jasper didn't need to know about what Alice had seen, both of them making Edward keep his lips sealed because he'd peeked into Alice's mind and confronted them about it, she was still on lockdown until both the situations were resolved. She didn't mind as much because she didn't want to present Dominic with another opportunity to attack and spending time with Jasper was never a bad thing.

Since Seth had been eager to help them out and had been unyielding in his wanting to get Danielle to safety, Jasper now trusted him and called him once a day to see if there were any updates on the Victoria and Dominic situation. None of the wolves had picked up on either of their scents since the whole ordeal at the treaty line. The wolves had even widened their patrolling area a bit and they still hadn't caught any signs _anywhere _near them. They didn't want to get too secure in their feeling that Dominic and Victoria weren't around but the air around the Cullen house had lightened considerably regardless.

Danielle was a bit upset though when the graduation day rolled around and she had been forbidden from leaving the house to help Alice get Bella ready for the graduation, but didn't dare press the issue with Jasper.

"Hey, Jasper, can you hand me that light?" She asked as she decorated the inside of the house. She figured she might as well put on the finishing touches for the party if she wasn't allowed to go to the graduation. She found it ludicrous that they were even still having it.

He handed it to her and she secured it before walking around to straighten a few decorations. "This should do it." She said putting her hands on her hips and looking around. Jasper came over and slipped his arms around her waist, his chin resting against her shoulder.

"It looks good."

"Alice is the mastermind here, not me." Danielle said with a smile. Jasper just kissed her neck then rested his chin against her shoulder again. Emmett was flipping through the music by the gigantic stereo while Rosalie tweaked a few decorations here or there. Carlisle was busy watching the news again with a grim expression.

Esme walked in then with the tons of boxes that she and Alice had purchased in Port Angeles and dropped them onto the floor. "Would you two like to help me get all these lights out?" She asked.

Danielle nodded and slipped out of Jasper's arms to help her, Jasper trailing behind her. They'd only taken a few steps towards the boxes when Alice came bursting through the door. Everyone looked up in surprise and stopped whatever they were doing as she spoke instantly.

"We were wrong." Alice said with a stunned expression. "Whoever is making that army in Seattle isn't after us."

"What do you mean?" Emmett asked.

"I don't know how we didn't see it." Alice said. "Bella figured it out. Whoever broke into Bella's room and stole her shirt didn't do it to prove that Bella was there. They were stealing it to give her scent to the newborns so _they _could find her." She said in a hurry, Danielle barely able to keep up with it.

Everyone was shocked.

"But…why?" Esme asked. "Why would the Volturi want Bella dead that badly that they would have someone create an army to kill her?"

Danielle knew instantly. There it was. The big puzzle piece that had been missing. Everything made sense now. No one was speaking up so Danielle took the chance. "It's obvious." She said and everyone looked at her. "It's Victoria, not the Volturi." No one moved for a long moment and Danielle spoke up again.

"Think about it." Danielle said. "Victoria has been hunting Bella ever since Jasper and Edward killed James and has been unsuccessful because she's always been alone, her plans have always been foiled. She decided to try to find me and followed me and Jasper to the south and got the idea to make the army there. That's why she hasn't made any real advances on Bella. She's made just enough to distract us from what she's _really _doing."

Carlisle looked at her in shock. "I think you're right. After all, you were right about…" Then he trailed off. "Oh no." He said with wide eyes.

"What?" Esme asked unsurely.

"Dominic is helping Victoria to make the army." Carlisle said with a furious expression. "She has more help then we thought."

"Then it _was _him in Ithaca." Jasper said quietly. "He was the one that made a few newborns in New York. Probably a test, to see if he could do it." Danielle noticed then that Jasper had begun shaking against her and she looked up at him questioningly. His eyes were pitch black.

Alice gasped. "Then they're not just after Bella. After all, it wasn't just her involved in with the situation in Phoenix."

Jasper looked down at her for a moment and Danielle looked at him uncertainly before blinking in surprise. He'd disappeared in an instant and she heard a loud crash from the dining room accompanied by an angry roar. She'd never seen Jasper that angry and found herself at a loss of what to do.

"Alice, they might not be." Esme said with a note of hope.

"Did Dominic take anything from your room?" Alice asked her.

Danielle tore her eyes away from the dining room where Jasper was still raging on and shrugged. "I don't really know. Nothing seemed out of place so I never really paid attention." She admitted. She tried to mentally go through her closet, thinking of anything that could have been missing.

"Wait. My sweater. My green sweater. I haven't seen it in ages but Jasper and I moved around so much that I had just assumed that I had misplaced it." She said uncertainly. Esme made a small, concerned sound and Carlisle looked worried. "Do you think…?"

"I don't think it's something to rule out." Carlisle said.

Danielle winced. Jasper had finally gotten a slight handle on himself but when he heard that he started all over again. She didn't know what to do. She'd been so sure that her family was going to get murdered and now everything was flipped around.

"What do we do?" She asked quietly.

Jasper came back in, breathing heavily, and his eyes were wild. "We're getting you the hell out of here." He said angrily.

Everyone looked at him surprise, but Danielle shook her head and crossed her arms. "No way. I'm not being taken anywhere." She said firmly.

Jasper walked right up to her and grabbed her arms. "You can't stay here, Danielle. There's a damn _army _after you. Maybe if they think you've left…"

"They'll just follow her." Carlisle said. "And if they come here, they'll follow her scent into town and ransack all of Forks to get to her. You know that, Jasper."

"That is assuming they could get through us." Emmett said confidently.

"I've seen them sending a group towards Forks to look for her and Bella while we're distracted." Alice said. But then she seemed to regret her words as she saw Jasper become even more livid.

Jasper growled. "Even more reason to get you out of here!"

"Jasper Whitlock Hale! If you think I'm going to let you drag me off to some unknown place to wait and hope that at some point you'll come back to me in one piece you've _lost your mind_." Danielle said firmly.

"If you think I'm going to let you stay here, or even worse, come with us, _you've _lost _your mind._" Jasper shot back.

"Jasper, surely she does not want to come with us to the fight." Rosalie finally spoke up.

"Taking her away from the city will be totally pointless." Emmett said.

Jasper looked around at everyone then was out of the room again in a flash. Danielle winced again when she heard another loud crash then she turned and looked at Alice. "When are you attacking?"

"Next week." Alice said.

"Then that'll be plenty of time for me and Bella to find some place safe to stay until this whole thing is finished with. Has anyone gotten a hold of anybody who could help?" She asked desperately. She frowned when Carlisle shook his head 'no'.

Jasper was back much in the same manner he'd returned the first time. "We start training tonight." He said harshly. "We're going to train hard and we're going to be prepared. These bastards are not getting through us."

"Ok." Carlisle said. "Now go calm down." Danielle heard the authority ringing clear in his voice.

She was surprised when Jasper threw her onto his back then took off outside the door. She knew immediately where they were headed. Once they were inside their cottage Jasper set her down then pressed his lips hard against hers. Danielle made a sound of surprise against his lips as he pulled her tight against him. She could feel all his worry and anger and desperation pouring over her.

She barely got to respond when he was tearing his lips from hers. His cold forehead pressed against her warm one and he sighed heavily. Danielle smiled up at him unsurely and ran her fingers through his hair. "Jasper?"

He shook his head. "I won't let them get to you. I swear it." Jasper said desperately.

"I know." She said, a frown forming on her lips. "I don't like how you're going to keep them away though."

Jasper didn't say anything. He just pressed his lips against hers again. This one was a little bit more controlled but when he opened his eyes again she could clearly see that they were still pitch black. Danielle sighed and hugged him as tightly as she could. She could still feel his emotions and he was nowhere near calm.

"Sit down, Jazz." She said softly. He lifted her up effortlessly and sat down on the couch, depositing her on his lap. Danielle just curled up against him as he buried his face into her neck. "We can find a place for me and Bella to hide. We'll find a place for Charlie and Lynne, too." She said quietly in his ear, her hands rubbing over his back and neck.

Jasper didn't say a word but very, very slowly she felt the tension begin to ease from his body. Then Jasper said something that had Danielle looking down at him in surprise.

"I should just turn you and get it over with. Then we wouldn't have to worry about these problems anymore." Jasper said even as she felt his lips brush over her neck. Danielle felt a flicker of nervousness rush over her spine as he very slowly pressed his lips against her throat. "Then we could start our eternity together without all this madness."

Danielle put a hand against his cheek and pushed against him to make him lift his head up. "You're scaring me." She said quietly as her fingers traced his features.

Jasper smirked a bit. "Finally."

Danielle frowned. "Not in that way. I don't like to see you like this. You're my rock, Jazz. If you lose it, I'm done for." She paused and touched her lips to his softly. "I don't want to hear you talk like that. This was not the terms in which we agreed on. We won't let a few pesky vampires get in the way of that."

Jasper sighed. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean it. I'm just…I can't…" He was struggling to find the words.

Danielle pressed her forehead against his. "I understand."

He looked at her and she was pleased to see that eyes were returning back to normal. "Why are you so good to me?" He asked.

Danielle smiled and ran her fingers over his cheek again. "Because you're my husband and because I'm madly in love with you. Nothing could ever make me stop loving you. You know that."

Jasper lay back on the couch and brought her to lie down on top of him, tucking her head underneath his chin. She sighed as she got comfortable and wrapped her arms around him tightly. They stayed that way, Danielle whispering encouraging words to him, until a loud and obnoxious knock sounded on the door some hours later. Emmett helped himself in when nobody answered.

"Are you decent?" He asked. Danielle could help but laugh because his had his large hand up in front of his face to shield his eyes. Emmett peeked through his fingers and let out a sigh of relief to see them lying on the couch. "Ok, bro?" He asked.

Jasper nodded slowly with a tight smile on his face. "Better." He said while he lifted him and Danielle back into a sitting position. Danielle stood and Jasper followed her movement, but Danielle couldn't help but grin as Emmett pulled Jasper into a purely male hug. She'd never seen Emmett and Jasper hug. In fact, she'd never seen Jasper really be affectionate with anybody but her.

"We'll figure it out. Don't worry." Emmett said quietly as he slapped Jasper's back a few times. Jasper nodded, returned the favor, then they separated. "Now, I was sent here to collect you for the party which starts very soon. Bella and Edward should be here within the next five minutes."

Danielle nodded and Jasper scoffed. "I can't believe we're having a party at a time like this." Jasper muttered.

--

Despite the earlier chaos, everyone had calmed down considerably by the time the guests arrived and Danielle wasn't sure if it was because they'd gained some magical confidence over the past few hours or if it was because they didn't want to alarm the guests. If it was the latter reason, they were not doing a very good job of it anyway. She and Bella had only gotten to briefly discuss their thoughts, Danielle not getting around to telling her about Victoria and Dominic being behind it, until Jasper and Edward separated them. Their vampires obviously didn't want them to talk about it at that moment since guests had started to arrive.

The entire living room looked like a nightclub you'd see in a movie and the eerie lighting definitely gave the Cullens a slightly more menacing look. Danielle had laughed pretty hard when Emmett grinned at Mike Newton and the blonde boy stepped back warily. Even Jasper had cracked a smile.

Jasper of course hadn't left her side one time. He had put on a pleasant smile for the friends that Danielle hadn't seen in a very long time and stayed dutifully by her side as she caught up with Angela and Jessica.

"Wow, Ireland? How pretty!" Jessica gushed. "What about school? Are you two going to go to college?"

Danielle shrugged. "We're thinking about it. We just wanted some time to ourselves to enjoy being newlyweds, ya know?" She was lying through her teeth. She didn't have intentions of going to college, at least, not until well after she'd been turned.

"Alice, wait!" Bella said suddenly after another knock sounded on the door. Danielle and Jasper looked at her in confusion, then at the door. Jasper stiffened but his eyes followed the way Alice had left.

"I'm going to talk to Alice. I'll be right back, ok?" Jasper said lowly. Danielle nodded and he gave her a kiss before heading off towards the kitchen.

"You two seem to be doing well." Angela commented with a smile. "Married life treating you kindly?"

"Absolutely." Danielle said as she watched Jacob enter the house. Two other boys, who Danielle assumed to be his pack brothers, stopped at the edge of the doorway looking extremely uncomfortable. She looked back towards Bella and saw that Jacob had stopped her from retreating and was talking to her near the corner of the room.

Danielle looked back towards the other two boys then grinned when Seth hastily shoved through them, his eyes looking all around. When he finally spotted her he grinned and waved enthusiastically. Danielle waved back with a smile. She hadn't seen Seth in a while and had missed him.

"Do you know the boys from Quileute?" Jessica asked excitedly. Danielle turned to look at her.

"Er, I know Seth and Jacob."

"Really?" Jessica asked with a glint in her eye. "So then do you know what's going on with Bella and Jacob?'

Danielle blinked at her in surprise. "Er, nothing. He's her best friend."

"Yeah but Edward sure didn't want him around her." Jessica prodded.

Seth was starting to make his way over to her but when Danielle saw that Bella's conversation with Jacob had taken a serious turn, she motioned for him to meet her over by the corner. He nodded and started working his way back through the crowd. "Girls, can you excuse me? I'll be right back." She only waited for Angela's response, not really caring about Jessica's, and quickly weaved in and out of people until she was by Jacob, Bella, and Seth.

"Hey, Danielle. Rad party." Seth commented.

"It's not mine but thanks." She said before turning to Jacob and Bella. Jacob looked irritated while Bella seemed to be trying to find an escape. "What's going on?"

Jacob turned on her. "Why don't you tell me? You probably know and Bella refuses to cough up any information."

Danielle looked at Jacob in surprise and Bella looked at her uncertainly. "Nothing is going on, Jacob." She said. Seth was looking back and forth in confusion. Bella looked thankful.

"You're both awful liars." Jacob growled. "You guys should tell us what's going on. We want to know these things." Jacob said in irritation.

"What things?" Seth asked.

"It's nothing, Seth."

"Bella." Jacob said firmly.

"Jacob, I will tell you. Just let _me _figure out what's happening, ok? I need to talk to Alice." Bella said with a huge sigh, finally giving into Jacob.

"The psychic saw something." Jacob said.

Bella nodded and Danielle looked at her sharply. "What? She did?" Bella nodded again and Seth looked even more confused.

"Can someone explain to me what is going on?" Seth asked.

"Is this about the bloodsucker in your room?" Jacob asked lowly so none of the dancing teens near them could hear.

"It's related." Bella admitted.

Jacob looked back and forth between Danielle and Bella, who shared a hesitant look. "You two know something you're not telling me. Something big."

"Yes." Bella finally said.

Danielle watched as he shot a look over to the other two boys by the door. They immediately started over, making their way towards them as quickly as they could navigate through the crowd, then stood on either side of Seth and Jacob, effectively cornering both Danielle and Bella.

"Now. Explain."

"Jacob, I don't know everything."

Jacob turned on Danielle now. "What do _you _know?" He demanded.

Danielle crossed her arms at the same time that all the pack boys, excluding Seth, did. She glowered at them and they glowered right back. "Listen. I may know a little bit more then Bella but this is not the time or place to discuss it. If Alice has seen something then we need to speak to her to figure out if anything has changed. _Then _we'll talk to you, got it?" She asked angrily.

Jacob glared down at her while Seth looked pleasantly surprised, then Bella said, "Alice!"

It seemed like only a second had passed before Alice was standing in between Danielle and Bella. The pack boys all leaned back a bit further and her eyes narrowed for a very brief second before she gave Danielle and Bella worried looks. "I need to talk to both of you." She muttered quietly.

"Er, Jake, I'll see you later…" Bella said. Alice nodded at Danielle and Danielle began to lead the way around the boys quickly. She jumped when Jacob threw out an arm directly in front of her and braced his hand against the wall.

"Not so fast." He said.

Alice said stared up at him incredulously but Danielle only saw Jasper for a brief second before she slipped under Jacob's arm and put herself in between them. This was absolutely _not _the day to mess with Jasper, especially considering he'd been an emotional hurricane since this afternoon, and she'd seen the expression on his face. She'd seen his lips pulling back over his teeth and knew he was about to attack.

Jacob looked wary as he spied Jasper now and quickly pulled his arm back towards him. Jasper was right up against her but he just glared at Jacob. Danielle put her hands on his neck and tried to bring him to look at her.

"Jasper, calm down right now." She said firmly. "He just wants information. Calm down."

"What did I tell you about coming near my wife?" Jasper growled out menacingly, ignoring her words but allowing her to stop him from moving any closer to Jacob.

The other two boys she didn't know were starting to tremble and she doubled her efforts to calm Jasper before all hell broke loose. "Jasper, please. _Please _calm down." She pleaded. Seth stepped forward and held his long, gangly arms out.

"Ok, whoa. Everyone calm down. I think we're just having an extremely badly timed misunderstanding." He said loudly. Danielle was surprised that no one else had noticed their little predicament in the corner. It was dead silent for a very long moment and Jacob finally put his hands up.

"I'm sorry." He said slowly, definitely sounding like he hadn't wanted to say it. "We have a right to know though."

Jasper moved her around until Danielle was behind him, his jaw locked and his hands behind him as he held onto her waist. "He's right." Alice suddenly said thoughtfully. Jasper shot her an incredulous look.

"What did you see, Alice?" Bella finally asked.

"This decision has been made." Alice said.

"You're going to Seattle?"

"No."

Now Danielle and Bella looked at her in confusion until Bella gasped. "They're coming here."

Alice nodded as the Quileute boys watched them intently, taking in every emotion on every single face, except Jasper's. They were avoiding looking at the still angry and tensed Jasper. "To Forks?" Danielle asked.

"Yes."

"For?" Bella asked.

Alice nodded, looking back and forth between Danielle and Bella. "They were carrying your shirt." She said. "And your sweater."

Danielle knew why Jasper had reacted so badly now. She was sure that this piece of news had definitely gotten him back into his chaotic mood she'd worked so hard to get him out of in the cottage. Danielle put her hands on Jasper's sides and pulled herself closer to him, feeling his hands tighten on her waist.

Jasper was shaking his head. "We can't let them come that far." Jasper growled. "There aren't enough of us to protect the town."

"I know, but it doesn't matter where we stop them. There still won't be enough of us, and some of them will come here to search." Alice said with a desolate look on her face.

"That's bad." Danielle said. "Very bad."

Alice nodded.

"Alice. I have to go. _We _have to go." Bella said motioning between her and Danielle.

"No." Danielle said immediately, feeling Jasper tighten his grip further.

"That won't help. It's not like we're dealing with a tracker. They'll still come looking here first." Alice reasoned.

"Then we have to go to meet them. If they find what they're looking for, maybe they'll go away and not hurt anyone else." Bella said desperately.

"Not a chance in hell." Jasper growled.

"Hold it…_what _is coming?" Jacob asked.

"Our kind. Lots of them." Alice answered him finally.

"Why?"

"For Bella and Danielle." Alice said. "They're being led by Victoria and Dominic." Bella gasped and stared between Alice, Jasper, and Danielle in horror. "What?" Bella asked in a strangled voice. "Victoria and Dominic?" Alice just nodded.

Seth growled and Danielle looked at him in surprise. She'd never heard him make a menacing sound like that. Jasper mimicked him. Jacob looked pensive. "There are too many for you?"

"We have a few advantages, _dog. _It will be an even fight." Jasper snarled. Danielle sighed and pleaded with him to calm down again as Jacob stared at him coolly before half smiling over at Alice, who suddenly looked like she was considering something.

"No. It won't be _even._" Jacob stressed.

"Excellent!" Alice hissed. Everyone watched her and Jacob share a meaningful look then grin at each other. "Everything just disappeared, of course. That's inconvenient but all things considered, I'll take it."

"We'll have to coordinate. It won't be easy for us. Still, this is our job more then yours." Jacob said.

"I don't know about that." Alice said. "But we need the help. We won't be picky."

"Have you lost your mind?" Jasper asked. Bella was beginning to protest too but as Danielle looked at the eager expression on the Quileute boys' faces she began to feel the hope that Alice was now feeling. She looked at Seth and felt a tinge of worry. She didn't want young Seth Clearwater fighting, but she didn't think she'd have a say in it.

"I'm all for it." Danielle piped up and the wolves grinned.

"What?" Jasper asked turning quickly.

Jacob sighed. "I'm sorry about earlier." He said very reluctantly. "But you guys were right the other night. We needed to work together and now we can. This is for Bella and Danielle's sakes." Danielle figured Jacob's words would have had more impact if he hadn't said then through clenched teeth.

Jasper sighed as Alice began trying to convince him and Bella began arguing with Jake. Danielle looked at Seth who was sharing a grin with the other two boys. They were young, but this was what they were 'supposed' to do right?

"Later tonight?" Jacob asked, turning back to Alice and Jasper and Bella looked exasperated.

"Yes." Jasper finally said slowly. "We were already going to have a strategic meeting. If you're going to fight with us, you'll need instruction." Danielle didn't miss the smugness in his voice. The wolves looked disgruntled but didn't say anything. "This will be…odd."

The wolves nodded.

"Clean slate tonight, ok?" Danielle said quickly. Jasper nodded curtly once and Jacob nodded too, keeping an eye on Jasper.

"We've got to get back to Sam. What time?" Jacob asked.

"What's too late for you?" Alice asked when Jasper didn't speak up.

"What time?" Jacob repeated while all the pack boys rolled their eyes.

"Three." Jasper said.

They nodded then turned to leave. Bella followed Jacob to go argue with him while Seth lingered a bit.

"Close one, huh?" He asked unsurely.

Danielle nodded and Jasper let out the breath he'd been holding as Jacob got further and further away. "This was just _not _the night." Danielle said as Jasper grabbed her hand and started to tug her away.

"I understand. See you later?" Seth asked.

"Yep." She said, even though Jasper shot her a look. She smiled at Seth once more as he turned to leave, letting Jasper pull her upstairs. Even though Jasper had come within an inch to attacking Jacob in front 

of everyone and she was worried about both her family and Seth fighting, she couldn't help but be filled with hope for the first time since they found out about the problem brewing in Seattle.

--

**A/N: Wow, even I was tense! Review!**


	18. Chapter 18

**A/N: I'm so ready to write the battle scene I can hardly STAND it! We're so close!**

**Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing related to the Twilight series!**

--

The party had long ended but Danielle and Jasper had spent the rest of the party upstairs anyway after the Quileutes boys had left. Danielle was mainly watching from her spot against the headboard of the bed as Jasper paced back and forth while he tried to sort through all of his thoughts.

"I know you don't like Jacob." Danielle said softly. "But if you're going to work together on this you'll need to be a bit, I don't know, _less _intent on killing him."

Jasper scoffed and shook his head. "I warned him not to come near you." He said darkly.

"Jasper…" Danielle said as she finally stood up and wrapped her arms around him to keep him from pacing anymore. He stilled and looked down at with a frown.

"I'm sorry. It's just been a really…turbulent day." Jasper said with a huge sigh as he leaned his forehead against hers.

Danielle rubbed her fingers over his spine and laughed a bit. "Tell that to the dining room."

Jasper made a face and kissed her. Even if he didn't want to admit it, Danielle could tell that he was feeling a lot more at ease now that the wolves were on their side. And she couldn't blame him either. She was feeling the exact same way, even if she didn't want to put Seth in harm's way.

"You're sure you want to come tonight?" Jasper asked.

"Of course. I don't want to spend a moment without you." She reassured him. "And Victoria and Dominic aren't around so it should be fine, at least for now. And I want to see you in action."

Jasper frowned. "I'd rather you didn't."

"You destroyed a room and almost killed Jacob today. That on top of everything else I've seen you do, I think it's safe to say that I'm extremely aware of what you're capable of doing. And I have no problems with it." Danielle said with a roll of her eyes. "Besides, that will be me in a year and a few months."

Jasper smiled slightly and kissed her. "Don't remind me."

Danielle frowned and pulled away. "What does that mean?" She asked haughtily.

Jasper cracked a real smile then and kissed her forehead. "Not like that, darlin'. I mean in the sense that I'd rather not see you bloodthirsty." He paused. "And I'm certainly going to miss these eyes." Jasper said softly, his finger tips running over the sides of her face. "And the freckles." He added as he kissed both of her cheeks.

Danielle smiled as he kissed her again, this time with more intention behind it. She sighed as his fingers toyed with the hem of her silk shirt and his lips trailed to her neck.

"And I'm sorry about what I said earlier…about turning you. It was out of line. This was certainly _not _the condition under which I would want to do that." Jasper said against her throat.

For a moment she couldn't remember what he was talking about. Hell, she couldn't even remember how to breathe. "All is forgiven." She said quickly and she felt Jasper grin against her throat before his lips trailed up to hers again.

"I forgot to tell you earlier," Jasper said. Danielle wanted to smack him for using his mouth to talk instead of kiss her. "You look stunning in this outfit. That skirt…it's lethal."

"Alice picked it out."

"Remind me to thank her." He said breathily before kissing her again, much more eagerly this time. Much quicker then she could process her shirt was on the floor and she waited impatiently for Jasper to continue kissing her. She was flooded with confusion when his lips weren't back on hers like they normally would be.

Danielle finally opened her eyes and saw that his were wide, very dark and his jaw was dropped a bit. "_When _did you get _this_?" He asked quietly as he ran his fingertips over the strap of her bra. Then she remembered that she'd thrown on the lingerie set that Alice had thrown into her dressing room underneath her outfit, hoping to put exactly this expression on Jasper's face. But between all the commotion downstairs and trying to keep Jasper calm once they were upstairs, she'd completely forgotten about it.

"Remember that surprise I was telling you about?" She asked.

Jasper's eye flicked up to hers and he grinned quite wolfishly. It made her insides melt a little bit while her heart kicked into overdrive. "This is it?"

"Well, there's a matching bottom…" She said unsurely. She actually felt a bit ridiculous dressing up like this, now that she thought about it. This _so _wasn't her and Jasper's style.

Jasper just growled and kissed her urgently before picking her up and carrying to the bed. Danielle laughed when he eagerly pulled her skirt down, his eyes widening again.

"This is by far the best surprise I've ever gotten." He said deeply before tossing the skirt carelessly away.

"Good." Danielle said, laughing when he literally pounced on her a moment later. "Just don't rip it. It was expensive!"

--

Danielle was pleasantly surprised when she and Jasper, walking hand in hand, entered the gigantic field that had been the scene of their baseball game over a year ago some hours later. The other had left a little bit before them so they were already there waiting as she and Jasper strode up.

"About time." Emmett said with a disgusted look on his face. Danielle rolled her eyes at him. She was convinced by now that Emmett would forever give them a hard time whenever they were intimate. She reached out and popped him on the shoulder, making him scoff. "Please. You _wish _you could hurt me." He said arrogantly.

"Just wait until I'm a vampire. I'm not even close to lying when I say that the first thing on my to-do list is to kick your butt." Danielle shot back.

Emmett looked at her as if studying a rare insect then grabbed her and tossed her over his shoulder. Rosalie rolled her eyes but laughed a bit while Jasper watched in amusement. "Guess I should really make it worth your while then, shouldn't I?" He asked before he promptly began spinning around so fast that everything around them blurred into one big blob of an unidentified color.

"Emmett! I'm going to be sick! And I am _not _above throwing up on you!" Danielle warned even if she was laughing the whole time.

He seemed to sense that she was not stretching the truth because he set her down on her wobbly legs. She let out a surprised "Oof!" as she landed on her butt on the cold, hard ground. Emmett and Jasper shared a look before they both started cracking up.

"Traitor!" Danielle accused, pointing at her husband. "You're a traitor!" Jasper and Emmett just continued to laugh so Danielle glared and crossed her arms. "Fine. You're never getting a surprise like the one I just gave you _ever again_." She threatened.

Immediately, Jasper sobered up. He only grinned now as he helped her to her feet then kissed her. Was the Earth spinning wildly again? Danielle had to hang on to Jasper to keep from falling over again.

"Oh, geez." Emmett complained.

"Which by the way, thank you, Alice." Jasper said with a wink to his distracted sister. Emmett made a gagging noise and went to sit with Rosalie.

"Yeah, yeah." Alice said waving him off. Danielle looked at her questioningly, once there was only one of her and not eight, then went to stand next to her while Jasper started stretching. Danielle could help but smile as she watched him. He looked way to adorable not to.

She saw Edward and Bella enter the clearing now and she waved back at them when they waved in greeting, Emmett reaching them first. It was amazing how drastically their mood had changed now that they had help. Nearly everyone seemed so at ease now that you wouldn't think there was an army of rabid newborns about to close in on them.

"What's on your mind, Alice?" Danielle asked as she crossed her arms.

"The werewolves are on their way which means I can no longer see what's going to happen. I don't like it one bit." She muttered in annoyance and Danielle hugged her quickly.

"Don't worry about it. Everything's going to be fine. I know it." Danielle said tapping the end of her own nose with a smile. They both turned their attention to Carlisle when he spoke to Edward as he and Bella stopped next to Danielle.

"When will our guests arrive?"

Edward seemed to concentrate for a moment. "A minute and a half. I'm going to have to translate for them. They don't trust us enough to use their human forms."

Jasper came back to her side and draped his arm over her shoulder as Carlisle nodded. "This is hard for them. I'm grateful they're coming at all."

Jasper leaned down to talk quietly in her ear. "Will you stay back with Bella while I instruct? I'd rather you not be right next to the dogs…minus Seth." He quickly added.

Danielle nodded and reached up to squeeze his hand. "Yeah, sure." He nodded then turned to look out at the trees a little uncomfortably. "Remember." Danielle said. "Clean slate." Jasper nodded again and kissed her forehead with a small smile.

"Spotless."

"Prepare yourselves – they've been holding out on us." Edward suddenly said.

"What do you mean?" Alice demanded.

"Shhh." Edward said.

The circle that the Cullens had been standing in formed into a wide line. Carlisle was up front with Emmett while Jasper hung back with her as long as he could, not wanting to leave Danielle's side with the wolves around. She reached her hand up to the one hanging loosely over her shoulder and laced her fingers with his.

"Damn." Emmet said quietly. "Did you ever see anything like it?" He asked. Danielle squinted hard but couldn't see anything in the darkness.

"What is it?" Bella asked next to her, beating her to the punch. "I can't see."

"The pack has grown." Danielle heard Edward murmur.

Danielle had never really known how many were in the pack in the first place because Seth never really wanted to talk about that. 'Too much drama' he had complained. But now she could see the eyes of the wolves and counted the pairs in her head.

"Ten wolves?" She asked Jasper. He nodded, looking a bit stunned.

"Fascinating." Edward whispered.

Carlisle slowly stepped forward with a warm smile. "Welcome." He greeted.

"Thank you." Edward said in a flat tone. Danielle figured that he must be translating for Sam, the leader of the pack, and she could easily pick out the pair of eyes that stood the tallest out of all the others. "We will watch," Edward continued, "but no more. That is the most we can ask of our self-control."

"That is more than enough." Carlisle said back with the same warm smile. Danielle really had to appreciate how calm and collected Carlisle always was. She had discovered early on in her relationship with Jasper just why they looked to him for guidance. He had to be one of the most decent people, kind of, she'd ever met. "My son Jasper," he continued, gesturing to where Jasper stood next to Danielle, "has experience in this area. He will teach us how they fight, how they are to be defeated. I'm sure you can apply this to your own hunting style."

"They are different from you?" Edward asked in the flat tone.

Carlisle nodded. "They are very new – only months old to this life. Children in a way. They will have no skill or strategy, only brute strength. Tonight their numbers stand at twenty," Danielle gawked a bit at that, "so there will be ten for us and ten for you – it shouldn't be difficult. The numbers may go down. The new ones fight amongst themselves."

Danielle was a bit disconcerted to hear an enthusiastic rumble pass through the wolves when she couldn't see them. Unconsciously she moved a bit closer to Jasper.

"We are willing to take more than our share, if necessary." Edward translated.

"We'll see how it plays out." Carlisle said.

"Do you know when and how they will come?"

"They'll come across the mountains in four days, in the late morning. As they approach, Alice will help us intercept their path." Danielle looked up at Jasper sharply who gave her a tight smile. She hadn't known that they were coming that quickly. She thought they still had a few more days then four.

"Thank you for the information. We will watch." Edward translated.

They all watched in silence as the eyes slid closer to the ground one at a time then it went very still. Jasper slowly removed his arm from her and kissed her temple. She smiled encouragingly as he slowly walked into the large space separating the vampires and the wolves. He shot a glance at Edward, who nodded, and then he turned his back on the wolves to face only his family. Danielle could see how uncomfortable he was with his position.

"Carlisle is right." He said clearly. "They'll fight like children. The two most important things you'll need to remember are, first, don't let them get their arms around you and, second, don't go for the obvious kill." He instructed. "That's all they'll be prepared for. As long as you come at them from the side and 

keep moving, they'll be too confused to respond effectively. Emmett?" Jasper said, calling his brother out of line.

Emmett grinned and stepped forward while Jasper backed up a long distance. "Ok, Emmett first. He's the best example of a newborn attack." Jasper explained.

Danielle smiled when Emmett's eyes narrowed. "I'll _try _not to break anything." He muttered, but Danielle heard him.

"You'd better not." She said under her breath. Edward shot her an amused look.

Jasper just grinned. "What I meant is that Emmett relies on his strength. He's very straightforward about the attack. The newborns won't be trying anything subtle, either. Just go for the easy kill, Emmett." Jasper reminded as he backed up some more and tensed. "Ok, try to catch me."

Danielle watched in fascination as Jasper moved so quickly around Emmett's bear like charge that he appeared to be made out of nothing but mist. Anytime that Emmett would look close to catching him, Jasper would be out of his reach. They continued on for another moment until Emmett froze. Jasper was him from behind with his teeth an inch from his throat.

Esme shot Emmett a scolding look when he cussed at the same time the wolves made a rumble of appreciation across from them. "Again." Emmett said stubbornly. The smile he'd had on his face during the whole exercise was gone now.

"It's my turn." Edward said.

"In a minute. I want to show Danielle and Bella something first." Jasper said, waving Alice forward. Danielle frowned and watched her. She looked positively tiny compared to Emmett. "I know you two worry about her." He explained. "I want to show you why that isn't necessary."

Alice just smiled and as Jasper crouched and advanced on her. Danielle knew there was some sort of attack going on because she could see Jasper moving, but Alice appeared to never move an inch. Upon closer inspection, she discovered that Alice _was _moving just a fraction of a second before Jasper would be able to reach her. They continued this way, Alice dancing around him and bending away from until she let out a laugh and was suddenly perched on his back, her teeth near his throat.

"Gotcha." She said with a laugh.

"Terrifying, isn't she?" Jasper asked, laughing with her.

Edward went up next and their fight went on for much longer, both Danielle and Bella watching anxiously. Edward would read Jasper's mind to see what move he would make next but against Jasper's skill, it made it impossible for either to gain the upper hand. They kept charging again and again until Carlisle finally cleared his throat.

Both Jasper and Edward straightened up, Jasper laughing while Edward grinned. "Back to work. We'll call it a draw." Jasper said.

Danielle watched, completely entranced, as all the family members took turn fighting against Jasper. She'd never realized Jasper was _that _skilled. Hardly any of the family members could beat him once they were matched up against him and she felt her worry for him ease only the slightest. Jasper gave out instructions between duals to make sure everyone was on the same page.

It went on for a very long time, long enough for Danielle to start feeling sleepy. She nearly sighed in relief when Jasper turned to face the wolves for the first time. "We'll be doing this tomorrow. Please feel welcome to observe again."

"Yes. We'll be here." Edward translated. Then he stepped forward. "The pack thinks it would be helpful to be familiar with each of our scents – so they don't make mistakes later. If we could hold very still it would make it easier for them."

"Certainly." Carlisle said. "Whatever you need."

Danielle watched as the wolves finally moved to where she could see them and her jaw dropped. They were so huge that when they stood next to each other they looked like they had more than ten wolves. She knew that if she were a vampire, she'd be terrified of the pack.

She and Bella watched the wolves cautiously approach the Cullens and Danielle kept her eye Jasper, especially when Jacob got close enough to take a tiny whiff and Jasper tensed a bit. He relaxed a moment though when Seth walked up to him.

Danielle saw Jacob start to approach Bella, who was next to her, and smartly moved away from them so that Jasper wouldn't lose his cool again. Jasper seemed to realize it and as the last wolf went by him he made his way to her side, wrapping his arm around her waist as everyone watched Jacob and Bella interact.

"Gross." Danielle said when Jacob licked Bella's face. She then saw Seth walking over and looked at him warily. "If you lick me, I set Jasper loose." She warned. Seth just made a laughing sound and nudged her shoulder with his big nose. She was pleased to feel that Jasper was completely relaxed next to her.

Danielle reached up and petted the top of his head before shoving against his massive shoulder when the other wolves began to leave. Edward was already at Bella's side, obviously wanting to get her away from Jacob. "You'd better go." Danielle said.

Seth rolled his eyes but darted away with the rest. Jasper smiled down at her and kissed her forehead. "How did I do?"

"Good, of course." She said, though she really didn't know. "I'll retain that information and use it later to beat up Emmett."

"I heard that." Emmett said as he and the others joined them.

"Good. Prepare yourself." Danielle warned.

The other laughed then got into a discussion about the techniques Jasper had showed them, a few of them asking questions every now and again. Danielle tuned out, finding that she was extremely tired now and leaned against Jasper.

"Tired?" He asked quietly as he rubbed her arm.

"Very."

"We'll leave soon." He said. Then he looked up when Edward called his name. Danielle walked with him, Alice trailing behind them, over to where Edward, Bella, and Jacob were standing since Jasper didn't want to let her go and stared at Edward curiously as he turned back to Jacob.

"Ok, Jacob."

Her confusion grew when Jacob opened his arms to Bella, who looked suspicious. Jacob rolled his eyes a bit. "We're going to see if I can confuse the scent enough to hide your trail." He explained.

"You're going to have to let him carry you, Bella." Edward said. Danielle nearly laughed at the distaste apparent in his eyes.

"Don't be such a baby." Jacob said as he lifted her into his arms.

Edward looked over to Jasper now. "Bella's scent is much more potent to me – I thought it would be a fairer test if someone else tried."

Jasper nodded and they watch Jacob and Bella stroll into the trees. Jasper waited a few more moments before releasing Danielle to go follow the trail with Alice. Jacob and Bella broke the trees quite far from where they stood and started back towards them. As they neared Jasper and Alice returned looking slightly disgusted.

"As long as you don't touch anything, Bella, I can't _imagine _someone sticking their nose close enough to that trail to catch your scent. It was almost completely obscured."

"A definite success." Alice said.

"And it gave me an idea." Jasper said again as he put his arm back around Danielle.

"Which will work." Alice said with a confident smile.

"Clever." Edward agreed."

Jacob looked about as annoyed and Danielle felt. "How do you _stand _that?"

"You two are going to leave a false trail to the clearing. The newborns are hunting, your scent will excite them, and they'll come exactly the way we want them to without being careful about. Alice can already 

see it will work. When they catch _our _scent, they'll split up and try to come at us from two sides. Half will go through the forest, where her vision suddenly disappears…"

"Yes." Jacob said excitedly.

Danielle had to admit that it was a good plan. She wanted to know one thing though. "You two will be hiding at a place I know of not far from here." Edward said quickly, reading her thoughts. Jasper frowned.

"What do you mean not far from here?" Jasper asked sharply.

"Don't worry," Edward assured, "it's completely out of the way and easily defendable, not that it will come to that. On Friday we can have them lay out the trail then get taken up there until the battle is done. It shouldn't take long anyway."

"Who's going to carry me?" Danielle asked.

"I can carry you both." Jacob said. Jasper tensed. "But wait…" Jacob said as another thought struck him.

Edward nodded. "Again, not bad, dog."

Jacob turned to Danielle. "We tried to talk Seth into staying behind with the younger two. He's still too young but he's being extremely stubborn, especially since he's so fond of you. We can have him carry you while I carry Bella then he can stay back with you two and act as a communicator."

Jasper frowned. "What if something happens?"

"We'll know and can be there in a matter of moments if we need to be." Edward assured him.

Jasper looked down at her. "Would you want to do that?"

Danielle nodded. "Yes. I don't want to wait all the way back at the house. I'll go insane."

Jasper nodded reluctantly. "Alright then. I trust Seth with them, not that anything will happen, right?" Jasper asked, looking down at Alice.

"Nope."

He nodded again. Danielle smiled, feeling a lot better about the situation, until she yawned. Jasper looked down at her again then gently placed her on his back. "We're heading back now. She's dead on her feet." Jasper said. "See you back at the house."

Jasper took of then, Alice right beside him, and Danielle buries her face into his back as the trees whipped around them as they made their way to the car. He helped her in, Alice continuing on foot, then ran around to his side. Danielle only had the strength to smile at him one more time before she promptly fell asleep.

--

**A/N: Review immediately! The Governator commands it! Get to tha choppa!**


	19. Chapter 19

**A/N: How excited are you? Ahhh! How many chapters is this today? Two? Three? I can't remember. It doesn't matter! We're almost to the fun part! Blargkjhlkjh! Excited!**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing related to the Twilight series.**

**--**

It seemed because she didn't want Friday to come, because she didn't want to be separated from Jasper, that the morning of her and Bella's departure dawned even faster. She was nervous and wasn't afraid to admit it.

Most of Wednesday had been spent catching up on sleep from the late night before while Wednesday night she'd gone back into the field to watch them train some more, not quite as fascinated as she had been the night before but still watching with interest. She and Bella had sat with Jacob and Seth the whole night. Seth had taken a moment to transform into his human self to tell her that while he didn't like being left behind, he'd do his best watch out for her and Bella. She, Jasper, and Bella had all smiled gratefully.

There had been one drawback. Edward had told them he wouldn't be fighting because Bella had asked him to stay behind. Jasper hadn't been thrilled with the idea but wasn't angry at him for it. Danielle honestly couldn't blame Bella for asking. She would have loved to have had Jasper stay behind and she knew that all she had to do was say the word and he probably would have done the same thing. She'd persistently had to remind herself that Jasper was the most skilled fighter of them all and they definitely needed him.

Thursday, instead of going hunting with the family at night, Jasper went hunting during the day with Carlisle. She hadn't needed to ask him why when he gave her a meaningful kiss before he left that left her body smoldering.

But now it was too quick. The days had rudely sped up, probably just to spite her. The day's light was peeking through the curtains covering the windows of their bedroom. They'd spent the night in the cottage, finding it only fitting.

They still had a few hours until they were going with Edward and Bella to meet up with Seth and Jacob. Danielle rested her cheek against his bare chest as she traced the lines of the hard muscles on his stomach and sighed. "This sucks." She said quietly.

Jasper's cool hand was tracing out patterns on her back while the other rested securely on her shoulder. "I know. I feel a bit better about Edward _and _Seth being with you though. Extra protection, just in case."

"Yeah but that means he won't be down there with you." She said, propping her chin up against his chest to look at him.

"I'll be fine. I can take care of myself." Jasper assured her. "They were the ones who made the mistake of coming after my wife." He said with a grin.

Danielle smiled back up at him in spite of her feelings and stretched up to kiss him. "My brave major."

Jasper looked serious now. "Speaking of bravery…" He trailed off. Danielle had a feeling she knew where this was going. "Alice might have let it slip that she saw a hazy picture of Bella wandering around in the woods and you trying to fight." He continued with a stern look. "I remember what you said in Phoenix, Danielle. If something happens, if something goes awry, don't try to fight. Leave it to Edward and Seth to take care of."

Danielle frowned. "You know I won't agree to that."

Jasper sighed. "Danielle…"

"Jasper, if we're in trouble I'm not going to sit idly by. You knew that already." Danielle said, propping herself up further. He looked back up at her with a hesitant look, not wanting to admit to anything. "Besides, you can be there in a few moments right?"

"Yes." He said. "Edward showed me where it was on a map. I recognized it as a place we've made camp there before when we've hunted in the past."

Danielle smiled. "There you go. You know where I'm going to be and can get to me quickly if you need to, but if someone is attacking me I will fight."

Jasper resigned to the fact that he wasn't going to convince her otherwise before he hoisted her out of the bed along with him. Danielle looked at him curiously as he scooped her into his arms. "And where are you taking me?"

Jasper smiled. "We have to get you showered and packed."

Danielle only grinned wickedly as he carried her into the bathroom.

Once they were both freshly cleaned and dry, Danielle pulled her curly red hair up into a messy bun and started going through her things. "Should I bring boots? Will I need them?" She asked as she tossed a few things out of her closet.

"Maybe it wouldn't hurt. Just in case you have to walk around." Jasper said as he got a bag for her and dropped it onto the ground next to her. "Bring some blankets, too."

Jasper ended up having to get another bad because she had always had a problem with over packing. She'd packed extra pairs of clothes, more blankets then she really needed, and stuffed a few pillows into the other bag. Jasper just smirked at her when she tossed him one of the bags and they headed for the door. "Planning to move out there?"

"I thought I'd take a peek, yeah." She said sarcastically.

Jasper laughed softly and grabbed her hand before she could make it out the doorway, pulling her back to him. His lips claimed her tenderly and she sighed against him. "I love you." She whispered, her hand brushing over his cheek.

"I love you, too."

He led her out of the house then, walking with her slowly as they tried to prolong their alone time together as much as they could, until they reached the garage. Edward and Bella were there and Alice was watching them with a frustrated look on her face.

"Hey." Edward greeted.

"Good afternoon." Danielle said as Jasper took her bag then put them both on the ground before walking over to help Edward get the camping gear ready. Bella was on the phone, probably trying to get a hold of Jacob to let him know they were on their way.

"You need to bring a jacket tonight, Danielle. I can't be _sure _but I think it's going to be snowing where you guys are going to be camping." Alice said moodily. Danielle looked at her curiously.

"And knowing my luck it won't be a cute little fluff of snow, will it?"

Alice shook her head. "No."

Danielle and just turned to ask Jasper if he could run back to get her a jacket when she realized he'd already left. She smiled wistfully at the exit. Geez, she loved him.

"Billy said to tell you good luck." Bella said as she got off the phone. "Hey."

Danielle smiled and leaned against Alice's yellow Porsche.

"That was generous of him." Edward said, though Danielle noticed he was eyeing Alice.

"Did my mom go with Charlie?" Danielle asked. Bella nodded and Danielle sighed in relief. "Good. Don't want her being around here when all of this is going down, just in case." There had been a lot of 'just in case's getting thrown around the past few days.

"Bella, can I speak to you a moment?" Alice suddenly asked.

"You're about to make life harder than it needs to be, Alice." Edward said through his teeth all of a sudden. "I'd really rather you didn't."

"This isn't about you, Edward." Alice shot back. Danielle looked back and forth between them, Bella mimicking her, while Edward laughed.

"It's not! It's a female thing!"

"Let her talk to me." Bella said.

"You asked for it." Edward said then strolled out of the garage with an odd laugh.

"Er, do you want me to go, too?" Danielle asked cautiously.

"No, you can stay." Alice said before she looked over to Bella. "Bella? Don't you love me?"

Bella looked taken aback by the unexpected question and blinked rapidly for a few moments. "What? Of course I do. You know that." She said. "Why would you ask me that, Alice?"

"Because I would like to know why I see you sneaking off to Vegas to get married without inviting me." Alice said firmly.

Danielle's jaw dropped in shock as she looked at Bella with wide eyes. "Married? In _Vegas_?" She paused as Bella blushed. "Why? Have you lost your mind?" Alice looked triumphant.

"No." Bella defended. "You both know how I hate to make a big deal out of things. It was Edward's idea, anyway."

Alice sighed heavily and Danielle crossed her arms. Bella thought she could marry Edward and _none _of the family be present? She had another thing coming! "I don't care whose idea it was. How could _you _do this to me? I expect that kind of thing from _Edward _but not from you. I love you like you were my own sister."

"To me, Alice, you are my sister." Bella confirmed.

"Words!" Alice growled dramatically. Danielle couldn't have stopped her laughter if she had tried.

"I would like to see you get married, too, you know." Danielle chimed in. "Hi, you were my Maid of Honor. Yeah, best friend, hello." She said sarcastically.

"Fine, you can both come. There won't be much to see." Bella paused at Alice's grimace. "What?"

"How _much _do you love me?" Alice asked. Danielle had a feeling she knew where this was going.

"Why?" Bella asked.

Alice put on the most serious puppy dog face Danielle thought she'd ever seen in her entire life. She felt her heart wrench a little bit and couldn't even fathom how Bella must feel. She was extremely glad to not be receiving the brunt of that face.

"Please, please, please. Please, Bella, please – if you really love me…Please let me do your wedding!" Alice pleaded.

"Aw, Alice! No! Don't do this to me!" Bella said with a groan. Danielle snickered again. She already knew Alice had won.

"She'd do a fantastic job. You saw my wedding." Danielle said as she went over to throw a few flashlights into her bags.

"Yeah, and the graduation parties, yours and mine. And my birthday party!"

Danielle just laughed as they argued back and forth, being saved when Jasper walked back in with a huge stack of clothes in his hands. Danielle looked at him in surprise. "Am I clothing an army?"

"Yes." He said, producing another bag to fill it. "I'm not going to go through all this fighting just to have you _freeze _to death." Jasper said. Edward strode in a moment later and started arguing with Alice. "What's going on?" He asked as he packed the third bag.

"I'll tell you later." She said.

"You will not!" Bella said suddenly.

Danielle turned and shot her a sweet smile. "Married, remember?" She asked, motioning between herself and Jasper. "No secrets." Bella just rolled her eyes and grabbed her bag. Edward took it immediately.

"Did you grab your coats?" Alice asked, now sounding perfectly casual.

"Many." Danielle said with a grin towards Jasper.

"Ok, well, have a nice night." Alice said in farewell.

The trek to the field was much longer then it had ever been but Danielle didn't care one bit as they walked near, but not close to, Bella and Edward. Jasper was holding her in his arms and kept kissing her temple, neck, jaw…anything he could reach while she returned the favor. Neither one cared if Edward and Bella saw.

They finally entered the clearing and both Jasper and Edward set her and Bella down.

"Just walk north and touch as much as you can." Edward instructed.

Danielle and Bella looked at each other before Jasper and Edward pointed out the direction for them with smiles. The two girls began wandering through the woods and Danielle had to laugh. It felt a bit ridiculous to be groping the trees. They could see Edward and Jasper walking parallel to them quite a distance away.

"How are we doing?" Danielle called out.

"Wonderfully." Jasper said.

Bella reached up and ran her hands through her hair to catch some loose strands and drape them over some branches and trees. "Does that help?"

"It makes the trail stronger, but there's need to pull out your hair." Edward said with a laugh.

"I can spare some." Bella said. Danielle followed her lead.

"These vampires are going think we went skipping through the woods together or something." Danielle said sarcastically. Bella laughed and she thought she heard Jasper and Edward chuckle too. After a long 

period of time they reached the end of their pre-set path and they vampires instructed them to turn around. They'd nearly made it back to the clearing when Bella fell.

Danielle laughed immediately and leaned down to help her friend up. "Only you."

"Oh! Fabulous!" Bella complained, holding her hand up for Danielle to see.

"Are you alright?" Edward asked.

"I'm fine. Stay where you are. I'm bleeding. It will stop in a minute." Bella called, but Edward came over anyway and Danielle walked away to go meet up with Jasper halfway between their two paths. She was happy to see that he wasn't affected like he had been at Bella's party.

Jasper pulled her back into his arms and held her for a long moment before laughing.

"What?" Danielle asked.

"Bella is spreading the blood around." He said. "Good job, Bella!" He called out.

"Thanks!" She called back, even as Edward sighed and shook his head.

"Aw, now she one upped me. Quick, slash my hand open." Danielle joked.

Jasper shook his head with a smile then lowered his lips to hers while Edward went to attending to Bella in the clearing. Danielle sighed against his lips and wrapped her arms around him tightly. That feeling that she usually got before something happened was nagging at her, demanding to be acknowledged but she tried to push it down and concentrate on how Jasper's lips felt against hers.

But the feeling wouldn't go away. She couldn't tell if it was bad or not, but she knew it was something important. Something big was about to happen. And seeing as she'd been correct on her last couple of theories, she hated to think that this one might be right, too.

"Are you ok?" Jasper asked when he pulled away.

"As ok as I can be." She answered truthfully.

Jasper stared down at her, his eyes taking in every inch of her face as his hands rested on either side of her neck. "It should be over quickly." He said softly. "We shouldn't be separated for more than a day."

"That's a day too long." Danielle said immediately.

"I know." Jasper answered.

Danielle leaned up and kissed him again, their lips moving almost frantically as they held each other tightly. She sighed against his lips and ran one of her hands though his hair and he kissed her harder, almost bruising. Then he very slowly pulled away and hugged her tightly, his face burying into her neck.

"They're here." He said quietly.

Danielle nodded and they stood that way for one more moment before Jasper finally grabbed her hand and pulled her back into the clearing. Sure enough, Jacob and Seth were waiting, Bella and Edward near them.

Jasper grabbed the bags and walked with her over to Seth, shaking the much younger boy's hand then transferring her bags to him. Then he pulled her back to him and they shared another long kiss before he smiled down at her.

"I love you."

"I love you, too." She said immediately.

He grinned. "As much as I didn't want to, I packed Emmett's baseball bat. It's a bit reinforced because of our playing habits…but if something goes awry and you feel the need to pull another Phoenix, well, that should help until I get there."

Edward, Bella, and Jacob left right then, Edward calling a quick goodbye to Jasper, so that left only Seth to stand there awkwardly as Danielle threw herself at Jasper again and kissed him urgently, her heart overflowing with emotion. "I love you so much. Be careful. Don't be the hero!" She reminded him.

"I won't, I promise. And I love you, too." He said, kissing her again.

Finally they parted and Jasper nodded at Seth. Danielle let Seth pick her up, her bags thrown effortlessly over his shoulder, and they started walking away, Danielle watching Jasper over his shoulder until she couldn't see him anymore.

"Wow." Seth commented. "Got a little intense back there. You really love that vamp."

Danielle laughed and rested her elbow against him casually as he carried her, trailing behind Jacob and Bella far enough to where they couldn't hear their conversation but that they could still see them. "I always have. Even when he wanted to kill me."

Seth looked at her in surprise. "What?" They'd never really ventured onto this territory.

She smiled. "Well, for vampires, sometimes they come across someone's blood that drives them absolutely crazy. It smells sweeter than anyone else's, makes them beside themselves with hunger. For Jasper, my blood was his kryptonite."

"How did he get past that?" Seth asked curiously.

"He went away for a few days and hunted and then just kind of gradually worked himself up to the point where it didn't bother him as much. He always found it difficult to resist human blood, he was the most tempted to stray from their diet, but ironically I'm the only one who has really been able to calm down his need for human blood." She explained.

"That's pretty crazy." Seth said. "That sounds like our imprinting."

"Imprinting?" She asked curiously.

"Yeah. We see someone and just know that it's our soul mate. It's pretty powerful…except, well, we don't usually want to kill them." He said with a laugh. He sobered up then looked at her seriously. "Is he going to turn you?"

Danielle sighed. "We want to. We can't live without each other. But if we do, we'll be hunted." She said quietly.

Seth looked grim. "Yeah…I wouldn't hunt you of course. I like you. Both of you."

Danielle smiled and hugged him for a moment. "We like you, too. You're the only wolf Jasper trusts."

"Really?" Seth asked with a grin, the mood lightening.

"Yep. He absolutely _hates _Jacob." Danielle said quietly. Seth laughed loudly.

"I figured. He almost tore him to pieces at the party!"

Danielle blushed. "He doesn't usually get that bad. We just had a very stressful day that day and he'd already told Jacob to stay away from me." She sighed. "Jasper can be a bit overprotective."

"A bit?"

"Oh hush…" She said.

"Good thing we're here." Seth said suddenly, his eyes on the sky. Had they really already made it to their campsite? Danielle looked around and saw a tent in the distance. Bella and Edward were talking and she jumped when she spotted a wolf-form of Jacob strolling around.

"I'll never get used to that." She admitted. "And why is it a good thing we're here?"

He pointed up to the sky and Danielle groaned. "I hate snow."

"When it rains, it pours." Seth commented as they broke into the campsite. Edward smiled at her while Bella looked uneasy as she took in their weather situation.

Danielle could already feel the cold gusts of wind as the sky became dark with the approaching storm, but wasn't too bad thanks to Seth's warm body. As soon as he set her down though, it was a different story all together.

"I'll be nearby." Seth said. "I'm going to transform though."

Danielle nodded and grabbed her heavy bags from him, watching him as he turned to go back into the forest.

"Danielle, let's go inside." Edward said. She nodded and followed them in.

Once she was in the cold began to seep through the tent and she immediately grabbed three coats from the bag Jasper had sent her on and shoved them on. There, that was better. She smiled affectionately when she pulled out the bat and thought she heard Bella and Edward laugh a bit. She propped it up against the other side of the tent then unpacked her pillows and blankets.

As soon as her bed was set up she grinned at the other two. "In the words of Tim Heller, let's hunker down and wait this storm out."

--

**A/N: So close! But I'm tired now. And Tim Heller in the weather man for Channel 13 news here in Houston. A hurricane came a-blowin in a few years ago and he continuously said that line. The storm never even came towards us. What a dumb. Anyway….Review!**


	20. Chapter 20

**A/N: Eeee! I'm excited!**

**Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing related to the Twilight series!**

**--**

"Blizzards aren't so bad." Danielle said as she shook a bit. "My mom lived in New Jersey for a brief time as a kid and they got hit with one. I saw a video tape of it and it was worse than this one I bet." She tried to say encouragingly as the storm raged outside the tent.

The blankets that had been set to be used as a bed had long been wrapped around Bella, along with her sleeping bag, while Danielle had piled on practically all the clothes and coats that had been packed for her. She and Bella were sitting very close together.

And it was _still _cold.

"Y-yeah. B-but where s-she outs-side?" Bella asked through her rattling teeth. Bella was a lot worse off than Danielle was. It didn't seem to matter how many blankets or coats the girl had, the cold was relentlessly seeping into Bella's bones. Danielle put her arms around her, finding it difficult to bend them due to the mass amounts of clothes she had on, and tried to rub her arms and back.

"No." She answered truthfully. "But she did say she took the trash out at some point with my grandma. She nearly got lost in the snow." Bella laughed. The sound was weird because she was shaking a bit.

"W-what time i-is it?" She asked Edward.

"Two." He said.

His voice was distant because he was on the other side of the tent, but Danielle could clearly hear the worry in his voice. Edward was trying to stay as far as possible from them so he wouldn't make the two girls any colder.

He'd tried unsuccessfully to talk them into a making a run for someplace that had more shelter, more warmth but Danielle had talked him into staying, telling him it would ruin the entire plan for the attack and would put her and Bella in danger. That had shut Edward up. Bella had been too cold to respond.

"What are they _whining _about out there?" Danielle asked finally. Both Jacob and Seth had been making whimpering noises for the past hour and it was starting to get a bit annoying.

"They're concerned for you two." Edward said, his voice a bit annoyed.

"G-get out of h-here!" Bella told Jacob.

They whimpered even more and Edward growled. "What do you want me to do? Carry them through that? I don't see you two making yourselves useful. Why don't you go fetch a space heater or something?"

Danielle shuddered too this time when the tent rocked again with a harsh gust of wind. "I'm o-k-k-kay!" Bella tried to convince everyone. Danielle just kept her arms around her.

She and Bella both winced when a sudden howl ripped through the wind, very close to the tent. Edward scowled at the noise. "That wasn't necessary." He growled. "And that's the worst idea I've ever heard!"

"What is?" Danielle asked.

"Better than anything you've come up with." Jacob suddenly said in a human voice, making Danielle and Bella jump in surprise. "Go fetch a space heater…I'm not a St. Bernard."

They watched as he unzipped the tent and squeezed in through the tiniest space he could fit through. The cold seeped through in full force despite his efforts and they both shivered violently.

"I don't like this." Edward hissed. "Just give Bella the coat and get out."

Danielle could see Jacob holding the parka at the front of the tent but frowned in confusion when he dropped it. "The parka's for tomorrow – she's too cold to warm it up by herself. It's frozen." He said. "You said you needed a space heater and here I am."

"J-J-J-Jake, you'll f-f-freeze!" Bella said, sounding like she was trying to complain about Jacob's state of undress.

"Not me. I run at a toasty one-oh-eight point nine these days. I'll have you ladies sweating in no time." He sounded pretty cheerful about all this. Danielle flashed Edward a cautious look then looked back up at Jacob.

"You've got to be kidding me." Danielle said as he moved closer to them.

But he was stopped short. Edward had dashed forward and put his hand on the wolf's shoulder to stop him. Jacob looked at the hand then at Edward. "Get your hand off me." He growled.

"Keep your hands off them."

"D-D-Don't f-f-fight!" Bella said.

"I'm sure she'll thank you for this when her toes turn black and fall off. And I'm sure your brother will be really happy to know you let his wife freeze to death." Jacob shot.

"That was low." Danielle muttered, not happy with the situation.

Edward hesitantly moved away. "Watch yourself."

Jacob somehow maneuvered himself to be right up against Bella then looked at her with expectant eyes. Danielle shook her head. "No way."

"Danielle…" Jacob said with irritation. "You'll freeze to death. Your husband already hates me, anyway. What have we got to lose?"

"Your life. Because that's what you will lose if he knows you even put a fingertip on me." Danielle reminded him. She looked over towards Edward and saw him with a triumphant looking smile on his face.

"D-Danielle, just come over here." Bella pleaded. She already sounded a bit better but Danielle couldn't decide if Bella wanted her there for her to get warm too or if she just wanted a rescue from Jacob.

Very grudgingly she finally scooted over and Jacob put a long arm around her. After a few moments, even through her clothes, she could feel the heat of his body warming her up. She sighed in annoyance and moved closer to get warm and Jacob chuckled.

"That's not so bad right?"

"On the contrary, it's pretty terrible." Danielle muttered. "How is Seth?"

"Don't worry, he's fine. He's right outside the tent there." Jacob said nodding to the side of the tent right next to them. Danielle turned her head a bit and could see the lump through the tent wall where his body was. He must be trying to stop the cold anyway he can.

Danielle reached out a now much warmer arm and poked him through the tent making him jump and the tent rattle. "Calm down, freak." She said with a laugh. "Just saying hi." A playful growl was the only answer she got.

"He says he'll get you back for scaring him." Edward said, but his voice sounded dark and annoyed.

Danielle had a big feeling that if she weren't in the tent right now there would be some serious arguments going on. As it was though, Bella tried to keep the discussion about Jacob's feeling and Edward's impatience towards the wolf out of the spotlight.

Despite not feeling comfortable with the present arrangement very much, Danielle felt her eyelids finally start to droop as her body warmed up. Distantly she heard Bella and Jacob talking but the rhythm of their talking only made her even sleepier. The last thing she heard was Bella saying sorry to Jacob before sleep overtook her.

--

"Sweet heavenly father, have mercy on my eyes." Danielle complained when she woke the next morning. Both Jacob and Bella were still asleep but she didn't know how. The sun was blinding, even through the tent.

She looked over at Edward and he smiled in greeting but it didn't reach his eyes. Slowly she sat up and gasped out. "It's hot." She complained again before starting to undo all the coats she had on. Once she was down to a blue sweater and her jeans she sighed thankfully. Then she looked down at Jacob and Bella.

At some point in the night Jacob had let go of her and now had both of his arms around Bella, looking way too cozy for anybody's comfort. Edward followed her gaze and she saw his pained expression. Danielle finally stood and walked over to him, putting a hand on his cold shoulder.

"Hey, it's nothing." She reassured him, though honestly she didn't really know anymore. "She loves you, remember?"

Edward nodded, reaching up to pat her hand, and then she smiled and walked out of the tent. It was good to stretch her legs and she stretched in the bright sunlight. There was still a light dusting of snow on the ground and she kicked at it as all the sweating she done the night before dried.

"I feel disgusting…" She thought out loud.

She jumped a mile in the air when a nose bumped her back and she whipped around to see Seth standing behind her. "How did you sneak up on me like that?" She asked her hand over her heart.

Seth just gave her a huge, wolfy grin and she shook her head. When she reached up her hand to pet the top of his head she watched his eyes slide closed. "You're just like a big puppy." Danielle said with a grin. Seth's eyes opened back up and he made a growling noise. Danielle laughed. "A big _ferocious _puppy, then. Is that better?" He rolled his eyes.

Danielle moved her hand away and looked at him sternly. "You weren't too cold last night right?" She asked, her hands on her hips. He made a weird scoffing noise so she took that as a no. "Good."

Both of their attention was turned to the tent when they suddenly heard a crashing sound from inside the tent and then the tent shuddered. "What the hell?" Danielle asked.

But then Seth was growling viciously next to her and she jumped away in fright. He was clearly angry about something but she had no idea what and was too afraid to move around him and into the tent to figure out. She'd never seen him like that.

"Stop it! Stop it!" She heard Bella yelling in the tent. Edward and Jacob must be about to fight. Now she could hear the growls from inside the tent along with Seth's. Even when the growling stopped inside the tent, Seth didn't quite calm.

Danielle finally started to make a wide arc around him, Seth not paying any attention to her, and went to unzip the tent. She jumped in surprise when Jacob stormed out.

"Whoa." She said moving out of his way.

"Sorry." He mumbled before running into the woods. He wasn't very surprise when he returned a moment later in wolf form. She looked at the tent then sighed and zipped it up. Maybe it was best to leave Bella and Edward alone right now.

She felt a hesitant bump on her shoulder and looked toward Seth. The apologetic look in his eyes could not be overlooked and he bumped her shoulder again with his huge nose. Danielle just smiled softly and reached up to scratch his neck. "It's ok, pup. Gotta protect your own right?"

Seth seemed to look even guiltier and leaned down to rest his gigantic head on her shoulder. "Geez!" She said when she nearly bucked under the weight. "Your head alone weights a ton." Danielle said with a laugh. Seth just let out a weird scoff and kept his head in place. She could tell that he felt really bad for scaring her. Jacob walked past them and took a seat outside of the tent, probably to eavesdrop.

Seth pulled away from her and went to go lay down on a pile of pine needles. She watched him walk, his head bowed, and followed him with a dramatic roll of her eyes. He looked surprised when she plopped down next to him and leaned back against him to get comfortable.

"I was just surprised. That's all." She assured him.

They both looked over when Jacob let out a painful howl then ran off into the woods past them. Seth watched him go, a whimper escaping his throat, and Danielle looked at him curiously. "What happened?" She asked.

He looked back to the tent with accusing eyes and she frowned. Only a few minutes later a very distraught Bella came running out of the tent, Edward following her. Danielle stood as they approached but Seth stayed on his bed.

"You can't go after him. Not today. It's almost time. And getting yourself lost wouldn't help anyone, regardless." Edward tried to reason once he stopped Bella from moving any further. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have done that." Edward added.

"You didn't do anything. It's my fault. I did this. I did everything wrong. I could have…When he…I shouldn't have…I….I…" Danielle frowned as she started sobbing.

She turned her eyes away to give them a moment as she heard Edward try to reason her then say he'd go find Jacob. She desperately wanted to know what was wrong. Once Edward was gone, Danielle walked over.

"Bella?"

"He knows that Edward and I are getting married." She whispered

"Oh." Danielle said quietly. They stood there for a moment before Danielle put an arm around her shoulders and led her back into the clearing. "Let's just wait here then…and see what happens." She said unsurely. She really didn't know what to say to make Bella feel any better.

Bella paced and Danielle watched her, feeling her nerves beginning to build. It must be getting close to the time of the attack now and her thoughts turned to Jasper standing there in that field…just waiting for the horde of vampires to come. So close but so far at the same time.

Seth whined suddenly and was out of the pine needles in a second to go stand on the edge of the clearing, his whole body alert.

"What is it?" Bella asked.

Seth ignored her but kept whimpering. Danielle walked over next to him as Bella spoke again. "Is it the others? In the clearing?" Seth just yelped.

"Is that a yes or a no?" Danielle asked him. He shook his head. She sighed in relief, even though she knew that it soon _would _be that. When he walked back over to his resting spot another moment later, Danielle decided to go grab the bat Jasper had sent with her. Once she had it in her hands, she instantly felt better and smiled.

It fell when she walked back out of the tent and saw Seth standing there growling.

"What is it now?" She asked raising the bat warily.

"It's just us, Seth." Jacob called.

Danielle lowered the bat and watched as Edward walked into the clearing. Seth was in front of him in a minute and they stared at each other intently. "Yes, that's all we need." Edward said. "I suppose we shouldn't be surprised but the timing is going to be very close. Please have Sam ask Alice to try to nail the schedule down better."

Seth nodded and Edward turned to Bella. "Bella, there's a bit of a complication. I'm going to take Seth a little ways away and try to straighten it out. I won't go far, but I won't listen either. I know you don't want an audience, no matter which way you decide." He said softly.

Bella nodded. "Hurry back."

Once Edward and Seth started off Danielle quickly followed. She didn't want to stick around either. Edward didn't look surprised when she popped up next to him.

"What's going on?"

"The army is moving a big faster than we anticipated. They very nearly crossed the scent of the wolves in the woods because the wolves weren't going as fast they could have."

"Oh. But everything is still fine right?"

Edward nodded. "Yes, I think so." Then he looked at the bat. "What's with the bat?"

"Jasper sent it. And Seth was freaking me out so I thought it wouldn't hurt to have it."

Both Edward and Seth laughed. She just rolled her eyes as they stopped walking and Edward and Seth began having their one sided conversation.

So the army was moving faster and they were obviously nearby. They could have run right into the wolves and then where would they be? Her worry increased as her thoughts turned back to Jasper and she knew she'd never be able to relax as long as they were waiting for this battle to be over.

She began to pace back and forth, jumping at any little movement, any little sound. Edward and Seth seemed at ease, at least, as at ease as they could be in the present situation.

Seth suddenly made a disgusted noise and she turned to see Edward frowning deeply. "Let's go back now." He said quietly as he stalked off. Danielle followed him and she felt Seth fall into step next to her. She smiled up at him but he still had a grossed out expression on his wolfy face.

Once they arrived back Edward immediately went into the tent while Danielle hung back with Seth. There was no Jacob in sight but she could hear Bella and Edward talking in the tent, so she knew where her friend was.

Seth did not return to his bed of pine needles, he just began pacing back and forth as Bella and Edward continued to talk. Danielle swung the bat around nervously as she waited for anything, any sign of anything happening.

"Is it almost time, Seth?" She asked quietly.

Seth looked over at her and nodded once. Danielle nodded back and felt her stomach twist into nervous knots. Almost time. Her nagging feeling from the day before suddenly resurfaced with a vengeance and she grimaces as she rubbed a hand over her face.

Seth walked over, seeing her reaction, and whimpered in front of her. "Just a feeling, Seth. But my feelings are usually right."

He nudged her with his nose and she reached up to pet him for one moment before he jerked his head up alertly and let loose a strident howl and she reached up to cover her ears. "What is it?" She hissed. Danielle was close enough to the tent that she could hear Edward talking.

"It's going to be fine. We've got skill, training and surprise on our side. It will be over very soon. If I didn't truly believe that, I would be down there now." Edward said, trying to comfort them both. Seth began walking up and down the length of the clearing, whimpering the entire way. Danielle watched him, her nerves growing until she thought she'd collapse from worry.

"The newborns have reached the end of the trail – it worked like a charm. Jasper is a genius – and they've caught the scent of the ones in the meadow, so they're splitting into two groups now, as Alice said. Sam's taking s around to head off the ambush party." He paused and said something quietly to Bella.

Danielle listened intently, her heart racing.

"The first group is in the clearing. We can hear the fighting." Danielle groaned and sank down to the ground to sit and listen, her worry no longer enabling her to stand as she tried to picture anything but Jasper down there fighting. Edward continued. "We can hear Emmett – he's enjoying himself. The second group is getting ready – they aren't paying attention, they haven't heard us yet."

Danielle heard Edward growl. "They're talking about you and Danielle. They're supposed to make sure you two don't escape….Nice move, Leah! She's quite fast." Edward said in approval. "One of the newborns caught our scent and Leah took him down before he could even turn. Sam's helping her finish him off. Paul and Jacob got another one, but the others are on the defensive now. They have no idea what to make of us. Both sides are feinting…No, let same lead. Stay out of the way." Edward instructed, though they wouldn't be able to hear him. "Separate them – don't let them protect each other's backs."

Seth whined near her.

"That's better, drive them toward the clearing."

Then it fell silent. Danielle turned to look at Seth and saw that his ears were completely flat against his large head and he was staring out into the forest. At the same time, she heard the tent practically rip open behind her and she'd barely stood when Edward and Bella were next to her, Seth joining them and staring intently into Edward's eyes.

"Go, Seth!" Edward hissed.

She barely had time to grip the baseball bat Jasper had sent with her, watching Seth bound off, when an icy hand wrapped around her wrist and she felt like she was flying through the air. Danielle lost her breath when her back collided with the face of the cliff. Edward was in front of them both and he'd taken on a defensive crouch.

Her breath caught in her throat at the same time Bella's face took on a horrified expression. They both understood immediately that everyone in the clearing was fine – the danger had found _them. _

Danielle cursed loudly and tried to shake herself out of it as Edward growled. "Victoria…and Dominic. And they brought someone else. They crossed my scent. They were following the newborns in to watch the fight. They made a spur of the moment decision to find me thinking that wherever I would be, Bella would be there, too. Now they get both of you."

Three vampires. Three vampires who were intent on killing her and Bella were coming and the only thing to stop them was Edward. Just Edward.

There was no way they were going to make it out of this, especially with Seth gone. But Danielle didn't really mind. She didn't want her young friend to fight these vampires.

Edward shifted and she automatically knew where they were going to appear. With a thudding heart, her eyes widened when the three vampires slowly edged out of the woods, the sun radiating off of them.

Danielle froze.

There was Victoria. It was the first time she'd seen her since before Phoenix and her eyes were black with hunger as she watched them intently, tension rolling off her body. By her side was Dominic, his eyes black with hunger but obviously excited. He stared only at Danielle with a triumphant look on his face.

It was the third face that made her heart clench violently, simply because it was a face so familiar yet so different at the same time. The eyes were no longer brown, but bright red with excitement. The tanned skin was pale and shimmering now. All the lines in the face were smoothed into perfect marble.

Very, very timidly Danielle spoke. "Tom?"

--

**A/N: SNAP! You didn't see that one coming, did you?! SNAP!**


	21. Chapter 21

**A/N: This is the chapter I have so been looking forward to writing. I'm totally pumped. **

**HANG ON TO YOUR HATS! **

**Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing related to the Twilight series! **

**--**

Dominic smirked as her voice echoed softly off the surrounding rocks. For a very long moment, no one moved. The two parties just stared each other, tension building and mounting with each passing second.

Dominic finally moved forward a bit. "You've really made this all too easy." Dominic chided. Edward's eyes were darting back and forth between the three vampires, his body tense. "Who would have thought that both prizes would be behind door one?" Dominic asked Victoria. She just smirked quickly before her serious expression came back.

"How?" Danielle asked.

"I'm so glad you asked." Dominic said with a clap of his hands. Everyone jumped. "You see, when your dear husband came to your rescue in Ireland, I was frustrated yet intrigued at the same time. Why would these three vampires protect this one little human?" Dominic asked almost casually. "I was curious. I'd heard you tell your friend you'd previously been in Houston and decided to pay the town a little visit before I followed you to New York, just to see if there was any dirt I could find on you and your little friends. Imagine my surprise when I happened to run into Victoria here and discover we were after the same thing." He was looking at Victoria fondly.

Danielle looked back over at Tom. Tom was standing there with a range of emotions on his face and his eyes were trained on her, but she couldn't for the life of her translate it. She knew Edward could have but he watching Victoria carefully.

"Victoria informed me she had this one on her tail," Dominic said, motioning to Edward, "so we set up a false trail to get him off her back. Once he was gone she told me the fascinating story of the Cullen family and their two precious humans. We'd both been thwarted too many times for our taste and decided to work together."

Dominic paused and looked out toward the forest for a brief moment before turning back to them with a raised eyebrow. "It was during our stay in Houston that we learned of the armies in the south. As you can see, it caught our interest." Dominic now put a hand on Tom's shoulder, who looked at him quickly before his eyes turned back to Danielle. "Your scent led us to Tom. After a nice little chat…he became our first experiment."

"Tom?" Danielle asked again. "You remember me right?" She asked hopefully. She thought she recognition flicker across his face.

"Don't bother." Dominic said with a laugh as Victoria smiled menacingly on his other side. "I tried another experiment in Ithaca while Victoria continued on to Forks, but you and your friends escaped so quickly I never got to finish it."

Danielle ignored him and turned back to Tom. "Tom, it's me. I'm your best friend! I've known you since we were kids!" She said desperately.

Tom looked at her helplessly for a moment and she could see that he was struggling with some internal battle. Probably his knowledge of their friendship versus his wanting to drink her blood. "That's it, Tom. You know it's me. You know you don't want to hurt me. Think of everything we've been through! Think about Jasper! He's your friend, too! It would kill him!"

Tom's gaze dropped and she almost stepped forward towards him.

"Tom, just come over here. Help us fight them and we can help you." Edward now said. "You don't have to die today. There's a whole new life you can lead. Just join us."

Victoria and Dominic laughed. Victoria walked over to Tom and rubbed a hand over his arm, her eyes actually batting a bit up at him. Danielle felt sick to her stomach. "Destroy them, Tom. I love you, remember? Once they are gone, we can be together. Forver. As long as they around, it will never happen."

Danielle said the conflict apparent on Tom's face but then his eyes emptied. "No. Tom!"

But it was too late. Whatever Victoria had done to brainwash Tom in the months leading up to this had resurfaced and the dark headed vampire in front of her was no longer her best friend. He crouched down and started towards them at the same time Dominic did, only the Irish vampire moved much slower.

Edward snarled menacing and Danielle lifted her bat. She wasn't going to go down without a fight. Dominic was laughing at her and she spared him a deadly glare.

"Ok, Tom. You asked for it." Danielle said as Edward tensed.

And then a loud snarl ripped through the air at the same time a sandy brown blur went past them. Seth stopped right in front of Tom and the young vampire threw himself backward in shock. Seth was tensed, snarls and growled ripping from his throat as he stared at the three vampires in front of him.

"No!" Victoria cried out.

"I'll take care of this." Dominic growled, a scowl on his face. Seth growled too and tensed up for the attack. When Dominic took his first swipe she watched Seth dodge out of the way and sink his teeth into the vampire's arm.

Dominic let out a howl then glared angrily at Seth. Danielle looked over towards Edward to see he'd moved forward a few steps so that if Victoria or Tom tried to make a move, he'd easily be able to intercept while also keeping some space in between the vampires and Danielle and Bella. Tom, though, had the conflict back in his eyes as he looked from Seth and Dominic, to her. Danielle looked at him pleadingly, trying to break though to him. Tom just looked all around, unsure of what to do. Her eyes tore away from him when she heard Dominic howl again in pain, and something white landed on the forest edge. He growled angrily and kicked at Seth, hitting front leg and Seth let out a quicky whine before moving back out of his reach.

"Don't go, Victoria." Edward taunted. The red head had been weaving in and out of the trees. "You'll never get another chance like this. You can always run later. Plenty of time for that…it's what you do, isn't it? It's why James kept you around. Useful, if you like to play deadly games. A partner with an uncanny instinct for escaping. He shouldn't have left you – he could have used you when we caught up to him in Phoenix."

Danielle heard Victoria snarl harshly but she looked back at Dominic and Seth. Dominic seemed to be trying to determine his next course of action. Bella was frozen behind her and Tom was frozen in front of her.

As Edward continued to taunt Victoria, Danielle tried again.

"You are Thomas Fitzpatrick." She said softly, and Tom looked toward her. "You're my best friend. Join us. They can help you. You don't have to live _this _life for an eternity." Tom didn't say anything. "Tom, they'll just kill you when they don't need you anymore."

She jumped when she heard a sickening crunch and then heard Seth yelp. Seth was limping back from Dominic with a whine. Seth was almost directly in front of her, his opponent closing in, but when Dominic got close enough, Seth snapped at him and he backed away. Victoria hissed.

Danielle could see Seth's tail brush against Edward's back and Edward laughed. "No, he won't turn on me. You provided us with a common enemy. You allied us." Edward paused. "Look more closely Victoria, is he really do much like the monster James tracked across Siberia?"

Victoria looked back and forth between the two with wide eyes. "Not the same? Impossible!"

"Nothing is impossible. Except what you want. You'll never touch them." He growled.

And then the fight between them started. Danielle tore her eyes away from them to see that Seth had taken another lunge at Dominic, who briefly howled in pain, before delivering a backhanded blow that sent him sailing into the cliff wall. She wince as she heard a whoosh of air leave his body quickly and ducked out the way when he came tumbling back down. Seth was now a motionless mound of tan a few feet in front of her. Bella was breathing hard behind her.

"Seth!" Danielle cried out.

Tom was watching Edward and Victoria in shock while Dominic looked triumphant. Baring his teeth at Seth. He moved close, close enough that Danielle could reach him. Anger gripped her as she stared at him.

Without thinking she used all of her force and swung the bat. It connected with his head and sent a jolt up her arms and over her shoulders, an ache settling there immediately. It didn't hurt Dominic but it surprised him enough that he backed off for a moment, his wide eyes on her.

"Back away from my friend, leech!" She hissed out.

"Oh, I'm going to enjoy this." Dominic growled. "It's a shame though that your husband couldn't have been here to see you die."

From behind her she heard a small gasp, but didn't turn to look. Tom suddenly snapped his head towards Bella, a crazed look in his eyes, and began running toward her. Danielle could only assume Bella had done something to draw her own blood, going by the hhungry look in Tom's eyes as he drew closer.

Then many things happened at once.

Distantly, Victoria went smashing into the trees as Edward delivered a blow to her when she was distracted. Then he whipped around and chased after Tom.

Seth suddenly jumped up, blocking her view of Dominic. He growled and lunged for Tom and she could clearly see the irish vampire again as he moved closer.

Everyone seemed to forget about Dominic.

Everyone but Danielle. In a flash, quicker then she could have blinked or even processed, Dominic had grabbed her around the arms, gave her quick triumphant smirk, and sank his teeth into her neck.

Danielle let out a cry of pain that seemed to jerk everyone's attention.

"_NO_!" Edward bellowed so loudly that her ears began ringing. Three ferocious snarls ripped into the air at the same time and the big tan wolf collided with her and Dominic, forcing Dominic off of her. She cried out again when a big chunk of her skin was taken with him.

Danielle put a hand to her neck and dropped to her knees, her entire body trembling. Blood was oozing out of the wound fast. She looked out at the trees as they began swirling rapidly, the colors all blending together, and then her eyes closed and she fell back against a warm body.

"Oh, no! Danielle!" Bella was crying out as she supported her weight. She laid Danielle down and pressed her hands hard against her neck, making her cry out again. "Hang on! Hang on!"

She heard Dominic howl in pain as a tree somewhere off in the distance sounded like it snapped in half. Dominic's howls doubled and then abruptly cut off. Seth was next to her in an instant before he lifted his head and let out a piercing howl. Not so faintly she heard a howl from somewhere in the forest in front of them, souding far away, but loud enough that she knew it was close.

Her eyes turned to Tom. He'd stopped in mid attack when he saw Dominic on Danielle and had turned on his creator, helping Seth destroy him. He now watched in horror, the bloodlust gone from his gaze, as Bella tried to stop the bleeding.

"Jasper…" Danielle managed out.

Seth let out another howl, even louder this time, and Danielle winced. "Stop, Seth…" She said weakly.

The ground seemed to rumble underneath her and suddenly there was a huge black wolf next to Seth and a familiar face was staring down at her. Cool arms were around her body and her heart soared. She smiled up at him as best as she could. Jasper looked absolutely frantic and she'd never seen him this pained ever since she'd met him.

"Jazz…You're here." She managed out. "I'm so happy to see you."

"No!" Jasper sobbed, no tears coming out of his beautiful eyes. "How did this happen?!" He demanded but he wasn't really listening. "Danielle, stay with me. Come on, open your eyes!" Jasper said, leaning down closer to her.

Danielle didn't even remember closing them but opened them slowly on his request. "I love you…" She said distantly. She knew she was dying. There was too much blood rushing out of her body. "I always have…"

"No! Don't say that! You're not going to die!" He said urgently. She closed her eyes again as she felt his body jerk. "Please! It's the only way!" Jasper pleaded, his entire body shaking. Seth whined incessantly while Jasper begged. "Please! _Please! _She's my wife! Ilove her more then anything! Please! I can't live without her!" Jasper was shaking uncontrollably with his dry sobbing.

"Sam!" Bella said urgently.

"Do it." Edward said suddenly. Seth let out what sounded like a howl of relief.

"Do what?" Danielle managed to ask. Things were starting to get very fuzzy.

"Let me, Bella." Edward said. She winced as Edward pressed even harder into her neck then Bella had. "We have to stop this bleeding." Then he nodded and she turned her eyes curiously back to Jasper. Everyone seemed to be moving in slow motion.

But then Jasper dipped his head to the undamaged side of her neck and when she thought he would have kissed her, she felt his teeth sink into her gently. It made everything come back into focus sharply and she jerked against him.

"Jasper! It hurts!" She complained, pushing against him weakly. Danielle realized then that Edward's hands were keeping her from losing anymore blood while Jasper bit her. She could feel the fibers of the cloth brushing against her ear and jaw. She felt Jasper's ice cold tongue slide over the bite and it momentarily soothed her, her struggling coming to a halt.

"I know, darlin'." Jasper whispered. "And I'm sorry." Then he grabbed her wrist and sank his teeth in there. Danielle whimpered against his mouth until his tongue slid over the bite again. She started again 

when he did the same thing to the other wrist. Jasper moved further down her arms and bit into the crease of her elbows, closing the wounds once he was done.

Danielle cried out. This pain was a thousand times worse then what Dominic had done to her. "Jasper! This hurts even worse!"

His cool hands were running over her face and she closed her eyes as she let out another cry of pain. Fire was spreading throughout her body quickly.

"We need to get her back to Carlisle. Now!" Jasper commanded and then she was being lifted into the air, making sounds of pain the whole way. Edward removed his hand for a moment but then she felt Jasper take his place as the trees began whipping past them. This old pain at her neck was nothing compared to the fire.

She began to feel faint and let her head loll onto Jasper's shoulder.

"It'll be ok, Danielle." Jasper said and she felt the coldness of his lips against hers. "I promise you. I love you. Just hang in there." He said urgently.

Then everything went dark.

_Fin. _

--

**A/N: Ooooooh how much do you just **_**hate **_**me right now? I bet oodles. **

**I'm not sure with the final story will be up, though it will be soon! Woot!**


	22. It's taken over my life

**And I couldn't resist.**

**The third part is up!**

**It's called "Days of Eternity"!**

**Enjoy!**

**You're all wonderful!**


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